UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA   SAN  DIEGO 


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UNVERSTVOFCALIFORNI      SAN  D  EGO 


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I     Cl  39  (5/97) 


OF    THE 


INTER-STATE  ORATORICAL  CONTESTS, 


AND 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF  CONTESTANTS. 


COMPILED   AND   EDITED   BY 

CHARLES  EDGAR  PRATHER. 


TOPE K A,  KANSAS. 

1891. 


Copyright,  1891,  by 
CHARLES  EDGAR  PRATHER. 


A  SOUVENIR. 

THIS  volume  has  been  compiled  as  a  Souvenir  of  the  Inter- 
State  Oratorical  Association,  inasmuch  as  this  association  was 
the  first  formed  for  the  advancement  of  the  study  of  oratory. 
These  pages  contain  the  grand  and  superior  productions  de 
livered  on  the  annual  events  of  this  association,  rendered  in 
competition  among  college  students  since  its  origin,  in  the  year 
of  1874.  And  deem  this  association  worthy  that  has  aided  the 
science  of  oratory  whereby  it  has  become  a  powerful  branch 
of  knowledge. 


PREFACE. 


AFTER  much  delay  and  long  continuous  labor  I  take  great 
pleasure  in  now  presenting  this  Souvenir  of  the  Inter-State 
Oratorical  Association  to  the  public.  The  work  deserves  much 
favor.  It  is  worthy  to  be  studied  for  its  history,  its  philosophy, 
and  its  precepts.  The  orations  are  the  exquisite  productions 
of  the  best  minds  in  college  circles  delivered  annually  in  contest 
before  the  association.  So,  to  the  young  orator  whose  victory 
in  the  arena  of  debate  has  contributed  to  the  world  such  speci 
mens  of  learning  and  eloquence,  to  say  nothing  of  its  marvelous 
influence,  retribute  your  grateful  admiration.  In  this  work  I 
have  introduced  the  successful  orators  —  one  after  another  ac 
cording  as  they  took  their  respective  positions  in  the  succeeding 
reign  —  with  brief  biographical  sketches  and  excellent  engraved 
likenesses,  which  increase  the  interest  and  value  of  the  book. 
The  chapters  on  "Oratory  and  Orators,"  and  "Plagiarism," 
written  in  a  brilliant  manner  by  prominent  educators  of  the 
day,  are  highly  appropriate  and  instructive,  and  merit  the 
popular  praise  of  the  public  as  well  as  the  student.  Accord 
ingly  from  the  desire  to  meet  the  frequent  applications  made 
for  these  prize  orations  became  the  purpose  of  compiling  this 
volume,  which  I  kindly  dedicate  to  the  orators  and  their  rela 
tives  and  friends.  CHAS  E  PRATHER. 

TOPEKA,  KAN.,  January,  1891. 


CONTENTS. 


Si/ 


?AGE 

Historical  Introduction  ........................  7 

Constitution  of  the  Inter  State  Oratorical  Association  ...........  II 

The  Heart,  the  Source  of  Power  ....................  15 

British  Rule  in  India  ..........    ...............  21 

Culture,  a  Basis  of  Brotherhood  ....................  31 

Two  Races  in  Ireland  ......................  37 

The  World's  Conquerors   .......................  42 

Beatrice  and  Margaret    ........................  48 

Satan   and   Mephistopheles    ......................  53 

Faith  and  Doubt  as  Motors  of  Action  ......    ..    ...........  5^ 

he  Loneliness  of  Genius  .......................  66 

Dante    ...............................  72 

.........    .......................  78 

Mahometanism  and  its  Enemies  ....................  87 

>*Poe  .................................  94 

The  Evolution  of  Government  .....................  99 

.-  The  Philosophy  of  Scepticism  .....................  105 

Progress,  its  Sources  and   its  Laws  ...................  Ill 

The  Old  and  the  New  Civilizations  ...................  117 

The  Cause  of  the  Gracchi  .......................  122 

The  Political  Mission  of   Puritanism    ........    ,     .........  128 

The  Saxon  Element  in  Civilization  ...................  134 

Judas  Iscariot  ............................  141 

The  Unity  of  Science  and  Religion  ...................  145 

The  Conflict  of  Labor  and  Capital  ...................  150 

Schiller  and  Germany    ........................  157 

Conservatism,  an  Essential  Element  of  Progress  .............  164 

Mob  and  Law  ............................  171 

John  Brown  .............................  177 

The  Man  and  the  State  ........................  183 

Principles  of  Political  Parties  .....................  190 

The  Defender  of  the  Constitution  ...................  107 

The  Philosophy  of  Inequality  .....................  202 

Riot  and  Revolution  .........................  208 

The  Puritan  and  the  Cavalier  in  Our  National  Life  ............  215 

Our  English  Language    ........................  22  1 

Orators  and  Oratory    .........................  231 

,  Plagiarism  ..............................  237 


HISTORICAL  INTRODUCTION. 


THERE  always  exists  in  ambitious  natures  an  inborn  desire 
to  excel,  and  never  does  this  desire  become  more  prominent 
than  during  the  years  spent  in  college.  And  since  this  rivalry 
has  existed  in  nearly  every  educational  institution,  there  has 
been  arranged  some  method  of  testing  the  much-desired  su 
periority.  This  has  been  in  nearly  if  not  all  cases  a  contest  of 
physical  power  and  endurance.  It  is  now  an  open  question  as 
to  the  beneficial  results  from  inter-collegiate  contests  in  boat, 
ing,  ball  games  and  similar  sports. 

It  remained  for  the  Adelphi  Society,  of  Knox  College- 
Galesburg,  Illinois,  to  crown  all  former  efforts  in  conceiving 
another  outlet  for  this  restless  and  impetuous  spirit  of  rivalry, 
by  testing  intellectual  merit  through  the  eloquence  of  oratory; 
and  to  this  society  should  be  given  the  honor  of  our  present 
Inter-State  Oratorical  Association. 

Invitations  from  the  members  of  the  Adelphi  Society  were 
sent  to  the  following  institutions  to  join  a  contest  in  oratory: 
Illinois  State  Industrial  University,  and  Chicago  University,  of 
Illinois;  Iowa  State  University,  and  Iowa  College,  of  Iowa; 
Wisconsin  State  University,  and  Beloit  College,  of  Wisconsin. 
These  invitations  were  accepted  by  all  except  the  Wisconsin 
State  University,  whose  faculty  refused,  and  Monmouth  College, 
of  Illinois,  was  substituted.  The  following  is  the  invitation 

verbatim: 

GALESBURG,  November  4,  1873. 
To  the  Honorable  and  Students: 

SIRS — The  Adelphi  Literary  Society,  of  Knox  College,  feeling  that  it 
would  be  for  the  mutual  benefit  of  "  Western  colleges  "  to  engage  in  friendly 
rivalry,  and  preferring  the  culture  of  the  rostrum  to  the  oar,  desires  to  sub 
mit  for  your  consideration  the  following  proposition: 

1st.  The  Adelphi  Society  offers  two  prizes  in  oratory,  to  consist  of  one 
hundred  dollars  and  seventy-five  dollars  respectively,  to  be  open  for  com 
petition  to  the  following-named  universities  and  colleges,  each  institution 
furnishing  one  orator:  Illinois  State  Industrial  University,  of  Illinois;  Iowa 


8  Winning  Orations. 

State  University,  and  Iowa  College,  of  Iowa;  and  Wisconsin  State  Uni 
versity,  and  Beloit  College,  of  Wisconsin. 

2d.  The  contest  will  be  held  under  the  auspices  of  the  Adelphi  Literary 
Society,  of  Knox  College,  in  the  Galesburg  Opera  House,  on  the  evening  of 
February  27,  1874. 

3d.  The  Governors  of  the  three  States  represented  shall  each  select  one 
man,  and  these  three  men  so  appointed  shall  appoint  the  awarding  com 
mittee. 

4th.  In  marking  the  contestants  the  judges  shall  take  into  consideration 
excellence  of  thought,  style  of  composition,  and  delivery,  marking  each  on  a 
scale  of  ten.  T.he  person  receiving  the  highest  average  mark  shall  be  en 
titled  to  first  prize,  and  the  one  receiving  the  next  highest,  to  the  second 
prize. 

5th.  At  the  close  of  the  contest  the  committee  of  award  shall  place  their 
marks,  in  sealed  envelopes,  in  the  hands  of  the  chairman,  without  any  con- 
fering  together  or  comparing  of  marks. 

6th.  A  committee  of  three,  selected  from  the  audience  by  the  contest 
ants,  shall  receive  the  marks  from  the  chairman,  take  their  sums,  and 
announce  the  successful  contestants. 

7th.  The  Adelphi  Society  further  agrees  to  pay  the  railroad  fare  of  the 
contestants  to  and  from  Galesburg. 

8th.  As  soon  as  the  names  of  the  contestants  are  reported  to  the  Adelphi 
Committee  they  will  cast  lots  for  positions  on  the  programme,  and  report 
the  positions,  as  drawn,  to  each  of  the  contestants. 

By  order  of  the  society. 

F.  I.  MOULTON, 

HENRY  W.  READ, 
GEO.  A.  LAWRENCE, 

Committee. 

The  contemplation  of  this  event  gave  birth  to  the  idea  of 
forming  an  association  for  the  purpose  of  continuing  contests 
in  oratory.  Accordingly  other  invitations  were  issued  to  the 
same  institutions,  requesting  each  to  send  a  delegation  to  a 
convention,  to  be  held  in  Galesburg,  at  2  o'clock  p.  M.,  of  the 
2/th  of  February.  These  invitations  were  also  accepted,  and 
the  convention  was  held  at  the  appointed  time  in  the  handsome 
parlors  of  the  Union  Hotel. 

Mr.  Geo.  Sutherland,  of  Chicago  University,  was  chosen 
president,  and  Mr.  F.  I.  Moulton,  of  Knox  College,  secretary. 
After  some  discussion  and  mature  deliberation  it  was  decided  to 
make  the  association  an  Inter-State  Oratorical  Association,  in 
the  following  manner:  The  chief  colleges  in  each  of  the  several 
States,  namely,  Wisconsin,  Illinois,  Iowa,  Michigan,  Indiana, 
and  Ohio,  were  to  form  themselves  into  separate  State  associa 
tions,  and  hold  contests  between  the  colleges  of  their  State. 


Historical  Introduction.  Q 

The  successful  orator  in  each  of  the  State  contests  should  be 
the  contestant  at  an  inter-State  contest.  The  State  associations 
and  contests  to  be  distinct  organizations  from  the  inter-State 
association. 

A  constitution  was  then  drawn  up  for  an  association  of  the 
colleges  represented,  which  was  to  serve  as  a  preliminary  to 
the  inter-State  organization,  thereby  giving  the  representative 
colleges  a  temporary  organization.  As  officers  of  the  same  the 
following  were  elected:  President,  H.  C.  Adams,  of  Iowa  Col 
lege;  vice  president,  J.  B.  Dimond,  of  Illinois  State  Industrial 
University;  Secretary,  A.  R.  Sprague,  of  Eeloit  College;  treas 
urer,  R.  T.  Wilson,  of  Iowa  State  University.  The  formation  of 
an  inter-State  association  could  not  be  realized,  as  Michigan, 
Indiana  and  Ohio  were  not  represented.  The  convention  de 
cided  by  ballot  that  the  next  inter-collegiate  contest  should  be 
held  at  Iowa  City,  under  the  auspices  of  the  Iowa  State  Univer 
sity;  and  the  making  of  necessary  arrangements  for  the  coming 
occasion  was  left  in  the  hands  of  an  executive  committee. 
Thus  a  temporary  organization  being  effected  the  convention 
adjourned  to  a  further  time. 

The  first  contest  in  oratory  took  place  in  the  evening  of  the 
27th  of  February,  1874,  in  the  City  Opera  House  of  Galesburg. 
The  meeting  was  marked  by  the  largest  audience  ever  congre 
gated  in  the  city.  The  programme  opened  with  an  overture 
by  the  Grand  Orchestra. 

F.  I.  Moulton,  president  of  the  Aclelphi  Society,  then  in 
troduced  Mr.  H.  C.  Adams,  of  Iowa  College,  Grinnell,  Iowa. 
Subject:  "The  Student  and  the  Mysterious,"  which  the  speaker 
rendered  with  true  grace  and  eloquence.  Mr.  A.  G.  McCoy, 
of  Monmouth  College,  Monmouth,  111.,  followed  Mr.  Adams. 
His  subject,  "  Conservatism,"  was  of  a  political  nature,  and  the 
speaker's  style  was  energetic. 

Mrs.  Chas.  G.  Hurd  rendered  the  "Cavatima  from  Lucia  di 
Lammermoor,"  an  operatic  solo  that  was  highly  appreciated, 
after  which  Mr.  T.  Edward  Egbert,  of  Chicago  University, 
Chicago,  111.,  appeared.  His  theme,  "The  Heart,  the  Source 
of  Power,"  won  for  him  the  first  prize.  Mr.  Frank  E.  Brush,  of 
Iowa  State  University,  Iowa  City,  Iowa,  next  addressed  the  audi 
ence  on  the  subject  of  "Ideas;  their  Power  and  Permanence." 
It  was  an  erudite  production,  and  Mr.  Brush  a  natural  orator. 


io  Winning  Orations. 

The  "Blue  Danube  Waltzes,"  by  the  Grand  Orchestra,  was 
given  next  place  on  the  programme,  at  the  conclusion  of  which 
Mr.  Geo.  T.  Foster,  of  Beloit  College,  Beloit,  Wis.,  discoursed 
"The  British  Rule  in  India,"  which  was  pronounced  the  second 
best  oration.  The  last  orator,  Mr.  W.  W.  Wharry,  of  the  Ill 
inois  State  Industrial  University,  Champaign,  111.,  came  forward 
with  the  subject  of  "Labor  and  Liberty;  or,  the  Mission  of 
America,"  which  he  delivered  in  an  easy  manner,  and  retired 
amid  applause. 

While  the  judges  who  had  been  appointed,  according  to 
agreement,  by  the  Governors  of  the  three  States  represented  in 
the  contest,  withdrew  for  decision,  Mrs.  Hurd  sang  the  favorite- 
ballad,  "Five  O'clock  in  the  Morning."  The  judges  appointed 
were:  Dr.  A.  Burns,  president  of  Simpson  Centenary  College, 
Indianola,  Iowa;  Prof.  A.  Stetson,  of  Normal  University,  Bloom- 
ington,  111.;  and  Judge  A.  A.  Smith,  of  Galesburg,  111.  The 
prizes  were  awarded  to  Messrs.  T.  Edward  Egbert  and  Geo.  T. 
Foster. 

Thus  closed  one  of  the  greatest  events  in  college  history, 
the  result  of  which  is  to-day  an  honor  to  our  educational  in 
stitutions. 

A  meeting  called  to  convene  in  Chicago,  June  9,  1874,  was 
largely  attended,  and  the  plans  for  the  permanent  organization 
of  the  Inter-State  Oratorical  Association  were  completed  and 
perfected.  It  now  includes  sixty-three  colleges,  comprising 
the  States  of  Ohio,  Indiana,  Illinois,  Wisconsin,  Minnesota, 
Iowa,  Missouri,  Kansas,  Nebraska,  and  Colorado. 


CONSTITUTION 

OF   THE 

INTER-STATE  ORATORICAL  ASSOCIATION. 


ARTICLE  I. 

This  organization  shall  be  known  as  the  "  Inter-State  Oratorical  Associ 
ation,"  and  shall  consist  of  the  Collegiate  Associations  of  Illinois,  Iowa, 
Wisconsin,  Ohio,  Indiana,  Minnesota,  Kansas,  Nebraska,  Colorado,  and  such 
other  State  associations  as  shall  be  admitted  by  a  two-thirds  vote  of  the 
delegates  present  at  any  annual  convention. 

ARTICLE  II. 

SECTION  I.  The  object  of  this  association  shall  be  to  hold  contests  in 
oratory,  and  such  other  literary  contests,  at  such  times  and  places  as  shall 
be  decided  upon  by  the  association  at  its  annual  convention. 

SEC.  2.  In  the  contests  of  this  association  each  State  shall  be  represented 
by  the  successful  contestant  at  its  annual  contest:  PROVIDED,  He  be  an  un 
dergraduate  of  the  collegiate  course  at  the  time  of  such  State  contest. 

ARTICLE   III. 

SECTION  r.  The  officers  of  this  association  shall  consist  of  a  president, 
vice  president,  and  secretary,  ( who  shall  also  be  treasurer,)  who  shall  con 
stitute  the  executive  committee  of  the  association.  All  nominations  of 
officers  of  the  association  shall  be  by  informal  ballot,  and  an  election  shall 
follow  by  ballot  upon  the  three  names  receiving  the  highest  number  of 
votes,  a  majority  of  all  votes  being  necessary  for  a  choice. 

SEC.  2.  The  officers  of  the  association  on  their  retirement  from  office, 
and  ex-orators,  shall  be  honorary  members  of  the  association. 

ARTICLE   IV. 

SECTION  I.  It  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  president  to  preside  at  all  meet 
ings.  In  case  of  a  tie  in  voting,  he  shall  cast  the  deciding  vote.  He  shall 
also  have  power  to  call  a  special  meeting  at  the  written  request  of  four  State 
associations,  giving  at  least  thirty  days'  notice  to  each  State  association  of 
such  meeting. 

SEC.  2.  The  duties  of  the  secretary  shall  be  such  as  are  common  to  that 
office,  and  any  other  duties  that  the  association  may  authorize.  He  shall 
have  printed  yearly  one  thousand  (1,000)  copies  of  the  constitution,  and  shall 
send  one  hundred  (100)  copies  to  the  secretary  of  each  State  association. 
As  treasurer,  he  shall  keep  the  accounts  of  the  association,  and  pay  all  bills 


1 2  Winning  Orations. 

audited  and  allowed  by  the  executive  committee.  He  shall  be  required  to 
deposit  with  the  president  of  the  association  a  bond  for  $  1,000.  He  shall 
receiv.e  as  remuneration  for  his  services  the  sum  of  $25. 

SEC.  3.  The  contests  of  the  association  shall  be  under  the  control  of  the 
executive  committee.  It  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  executive  committee  to 
audit  all  accounts  before  they  are  presented  to  the  association. 

ARTICLE  V. 

SECTION  I.  Six  persons  shall  be  chosen  each  year  by  the  executive 
committee,  to  act  as  judges  of  the  literary  contest  of  that  year;  and  each 
State  association  shall  be  notified  of  their  appointment  at  least  six  weeks 
before  the  contest. 

SEC.  2.  The  judges  shall  not  in  any  way  be  connected  with  the  institu 
tions  represented  in  the  contest,  nor  shall  any  two  judges  be  selected  from 
the  same  State.  Nor  shall  any  judge  on  delivery  be  selected  from  the  State 
in  which  the  contest  is  held,  except  in  case  of  extreme  emergency. 

SEC.  3.  Any  judge  shall  be  removed  upon  the  protest  of  any  State  asso 
ciation  made  in  writing,  within  thirty  days  after  his  appointment,  the  reason 
for  such  protest  being  given  in  writing;  PROVIDED,  No  State  shall  be  allowed 
more  than  two  protests. 

SEC.  4.  The  judges  selected  shall  be  divided  into  two  equal  sections,  A 
and  B:  the  judges  of  section  A  to  grade  on  the  merits  of  thought  and  com 
position,  and  the  judges  of  section  B  to  grade  on  delivery,  without  consulta 
tion,  each  judge  giving  one  grade,  which  shall  be  on  the  scale  of  100. 

SEC.  5.  The  secretary  of  the  association,  at  least  two  weeks  before  the 
contest,  shall  forward  a  copy  of  each  oration  to  each  of  the  judges  in  section 
A,  who  shall  grade  them,  and  send  sealed  copies  of  their  grades  to  the  vice 
president  and  secretary  of  the  association,  so  as  to  reach  them  at  least  two 
days  before  the  contest;  said  marks  to  remain  sealed  until  after  delivery  to 
the  secretary  of  the  marks  of  the  judges  of  section  B.  But  neither  the  names 
of  the  authors  of  the  orations,  nor  the  institution  represented,  shall  be  known 
by  the  judges  of  section  A. 

SEC.  6.  At  the  close  of  the  contest,  the  president  and  secretary  shall 
take  the  grades  of  all  the  judges  for  each  contestant.  The  grades  of  each 
judge  shall  be  ranked  I,  2,  3,  4,  etc.  The  orator  ranked  first  by  four  or  more 
of  the  judges  shall  be  awarded  first  prize.  If  no  orator  is  thus  ranked  first, 
the  orator,  the  sum  of  whose  ranks  is  least,  shall  be  awarded  first  prize.  In 
case  of  a  tie,  the  orator  receiving  the  highest  grand  average  shall  receive 
the  first  prize.  The  first  prize  having  been  awarded,  the  grades  of  the  re 
maining  orators  shall  be  again  ranked  i,  2,  3,  4,  etc.,  and  the  second'  prize 
determined  in  the  same  manner  as  the  first.  The  president  shall  then  an 
nounce  the  result.  The  markings  of  the  judges  shall  be  published  in  at 
least  one  daily  paper.  ARTICLE  VI. 

SECTION  i.  In  the  contests  of  this  association  no  oration  shall  contain 
mor*e  than  two  thousand  (2,000)  words,  and  it  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  secre 
tary  to  construe  this  article  strictly  to  the  letter,  and  to  return  any  orations 
exceeding  the  above  limit  to  the  secretary  of  the  State  from  which  such 
oration  is  sent. 


Constitution.  \  ^ 

SEC.  2.  Any  outline,  synopsis,  analysis  or  explanation  attached  to  an 
oration  shall  be  considered  and  counted  as  a  part  thereof. 

SEC.  3.  The  several  contestants  shall  send  one  hundred  (100)  printed 
copies  of  their  orations  to  the  secretary  of  this  association,  so  they  shall 
reach  the  secretary  at  least  three  weeks  before  the  contest.  One  (i)  copy 
shall  be  sent  to  each  of  the  judges  of  section  A,  as  directed  in  article  V. 
section  5  of  this  constitution.  The  remaining  copies  shall  be  distributed  by 
the  secretary  of  the  Inter-State  Association  to  the  secretaries  of  the  various 
State  associations,  in  sufficient  number  that  each  local  association  compos 
ing  the  State  association  may  receive  a  copy  of  all  the  inter-State  orations. 

SEC.  4.  The  orations  for  the  inter-State  contest  shall  be  printed  by  the 
State  association  according  to  the  following  uniform  standard:  They  shall 
be  set  in  brevier  type,  the  body  of  each  page  being  four  (4)  inches  wide  and 
six  (6)  inches  long,  with  a  margin  one  and  one-half  (i>^)  inches  in  width. 
Ninety  (90)  copies  of  the  orations  shall  contain  the  name  and  college  of  the 
author,  and  ten  (10)  copies  shall  be  printed  with  name  and  college  omitted. 

ARTICLE  VII. 

SECTION  I.  The  annual  convention  shall  meet  in  the  afternoon  of  the 
day  on  which  the  contest  is  held,  and  the  following  day  in  the  forenoon,  in 
which  convention  each  State  shall  be  entitled  to  three  (3)  votes. 

SEC.  2.  No  delegate  shall  be  entitled  to  a  seat  in  the  convention  whose 
credentials  shall  not  have  been  signed  by  the  president  and  secretary  of 
his  State  association. 

ARTICLE  VIII. 

Any  State  in  this  association  failing  to  send  a  representative  to  any 
annual  contest  without  furnishing  a  satisfactory  reason  shall  be  excluded 
from  the  association. 

ARTICLE  IX. 

The  names  of  the  orators  engaged  in  the  contest,  and  copies  of  the 
orations,  also  the  names  and  markings  of  the  judges,  shall  be  kept  on 
record  by  the  secretary. 

ARTICLE  X. 

SECTION  i.  The  association  shall  pay  all  necessary  expenses  connected 
with  the  contest,  including  prizes,  and  all  necessary  expenses  of  judges,  the 
president  and  secretary,  and  vice  president  when  acting  as  president. 

SEC.  2.  Such  an  admittance  fee  to  the  oratorical  contest  shall  be  charged 
as  the  executive  committee  shall  deem  proper. 

SEC.  3.  Each  State  association  shall,  at  least  thirty  days  before  the 
inter-State  contest,  deposit  with  the  treasurer  of  the  Inter-State  Association 
the  sum  of  twenty-five  (25)  dollars,  which  shall  be  subject  to  use  by  the 
executive  committee  in  case  of  a  deficit  at  the  inter-State  contest.  Any 
State  association  failing  to  comply  with  this  provision,  without  sufficient 
reason  being  given,  shall  be  denied  representation  in  the  next  contest  and 
convention. 

SEC.  4.  Within  ten  days  succeeding  each  annual  contest  all  surplus 
funds  exceeding  twenty-five  (25)  dollars,  which  shall  remain  in  the  inter- 
State  treasury,  shall  be  divided  equally  among  the  State  associations,  and 


14  Winning  Orations. 

be  deposited  with  their  respective  treasurers.     Should  there  be  any  deficit 
it  shall  be  met  by  an  equal  tax  upon  the  State  associations. 

SEC.  5.  As  testimonials  of  success  in  the  contest?  of  this  association 
there  shall  be  awarded  as  first  honor  SEVENTY-FIVE  DOLLARS;  as  second 

honor,  FIFTY  DOLLARS. 

ARTICLE  XI. 

SECTION  i.  This  constitution  may  be  amended  at  an  annual  meeting  of 
the  association  by  a  two-thirds  vote. 

SEC.  2.  The  organ  of  this  association,  in  the  future,  shall  be  annually  a 
college  newspaper  published  where  the  next  contest  is  held,  and  it  shall  be 
the  duty  of  the  secretary  to  keep  standing  in  that  paper  each  year  the  list 
of  officers  of  the  Inter-State  Association  and  the  secretaries  of  the  several 
State  associations.  Any  bulletin  or  correspondence  in  reference  to  the  inter- 
State  contest  shall  be  sent  to  the  editors  of  that  paper. 

SEC.  3.  All  questions  involving  parliamentary  forms,  not  provided  for 
by  the  constitution,  shall  be  referred  to  "  Roberts'  Rules  of  Order." 


AMENDMENTS  TO  THE  CONSTITUTION. 


ARTICLE  I. 

SECTION  I.  The  State  whose  orator  appears  first  on  the  programme 
shall  be  entitled  to  the  presidency. 

SEC.  2.  The  State  whose  orator  appears  fourth  on  the  programme  shall 
be  entitled  to  the  vice  presidency,  and  shall  have  the  location  of  the  next 
contest. 

SEC.  3.  The  State  whose  orator  appears  seventh  on  the  programme  shall 
be  entitled  to  the  secretary  and  treasurership. 


THE  HEART,  THE   SOURCE  OF  POWER. 


By  T.  EDWARD  EGBERT,  of  Chicago  University. 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch,  T.  Edward  Egbert,  was  born 
near  Georgetown,  Ohio,  March  26,  1848.  When  eight  years  of 
age  his  parents  moved  to  Woodford  County,  Illinois,  and 
settled  on  the  prairie  to  make  a  farm.  Here  he  attended 
«chool  but  fourteen  weeks  in  nine  years.  Truly  it  may  be 
said  his  advantages  were  very  meager  in  his  youthful  days. 
However,  life  on  a  farm  secured  to  him  a  sturdy  physique,  and 
such  principles  of  independence  and  economy  as  are  necessary 
in  life.  In  the  fall  of  1865  he  prepared  to  take  a  college  course. 
At  the  end  of  five  weeks  his  father's  sudden  death  called  him 
home.  This  sad  experience  compelled  Mr.  Egbert  to  remain 
on  the  farm  three  additional  years.  In  September,  1868,  he 
returned  to  the  preparatory  department,  taking  up  the  studies 
one  year  in  advance  of  his  former  studies.  The  next  year,  at 
the  age  of  twenty-two,  he  entered  the  freshman  class  of  the 
Chicago  University,  and  graduated  in  four  years  as  bachelor 
of  arts.  He  was  the  first  member  of  the  freshman  class  ini 
tiated  in  the  Chicago  chapter  of  the  D.  K.  E.  fraternity,  and  is 
still  an  enthusiastic  member.  He  was  unusually  active  in  his 
literary  societies,  never  declining  an  appointment,  either  regu 
lar  or  impromptu.  In  June,  1873,  while  a  student,  he  delivered 
an  oration  entitled  "The  Voice  and  the  Pen,"  and  later  one  on 
the  subject  of  "The  Hercules  of  Civilization,"  and  received 
very  flattering  comments  from  the  press.  His  most  notable 
oration,  "The  Heart,  the  Source  of  Power,"  he  delivered  at  the 
inter-State  oratorical  contest  at  Galesburg,  Illinois,  where  he 
attracted  great  admiration,  and  was  considered  foremost  among 
them  all.  Mr.  Egbert  possesses  by  nature  the  elements  of  an 
orator — an  imposing  figure,  a  ready  utterance,  and  a  full-toned 

('5)   ' 


1 6  Winning  Orations. 

melodious  voice.  At  the  organization  of  the  Illinois  Oratorical 
Association  he  was  elected  chairman,  and  likewise  of  the  meet 
ing  at  the  Tremont  House,  in  Chicago,  when  the  Inter-State 
Oratorical  Association  was  formed.  Immediately  upon  leaving 
college  he  entered  the  Union  Theological  Seminary,  at  Chicago, 
graduating  in  May,  1877,  thereafter  devoting  five  years  to  the 
ministry  of  the  gospel  in  the  Baptist  denomination.  In  1881 
he  resigned  the  pastorate  of  the  second  largest  church  in  In 
diana,  because  of  financial  embarrassment  resulting  from  the 
failure  of  a  business  in  which  he  was  interested.  Although  a 
severe  blow  he  has  ever  since  been  laboring  to  re-establish  his 
former  possessions.  He  married  Miss  Maggie  Baker,  one  of 
Chicago's  accomplished  ladies,  in  June,  1875.  Mr-  Egbert  has 
lost  none  of  his  interest  in  oratorical  days  in  the  colleges.  His 
oration,  on  the  following  pages,  has  never  before  appeared  in 
print,  and  is  worthy  of  careful  perusal. 


THE  ORATION. 

Delivered  at  the  Inter-State  Oratorical  Contest,  at  Galesburg,  Illinois, 
February,  1874,  taking  first  prize.  Judges:  Dr.  A.  BURNS,  Prof.  A.  STETSON, 
Judge  A.  A.  SMITH. 

Orpheus,  poet,  philosopher,  master  of  the  lyre,  is  a  name 
immortal  in  classic  song.  The  skill  with  which  he  struck  the 
tensile  chords  is  fabled  to  have  been  such,  that  the  unconscious 
rocks  and  trees  left  their  places  and  moved  to  the  time  of  the 
air  he  played;  and  the  beasts  of  the  mountains,  bewitched  of 
their  ferocity  and  charmed  to  friendship,  gathered  lovingly  at 
his  feet  at  the  sound  of  those  chords,  the  sweet  harmonies  of 
whose  notes  beneath  the  touch  of  the'  divinely  ingenius  artist 
were  like  the  chanting  of  the  gods. 

Heart-bruised  and  disconsolate  at  the  loss  of  his  bride, 
Eurydice,  fatally  stung  by  a  venemous  serpent,  he  resolved  on 
descent  into  the  under  world,  that  if  possible  he  might  oppose 
the  cruel  rulers  there,  and  obtain  permission  for  the  return  of 
his  nymph-spouse  to  their  mountain  home. 

Armed  with  his  lyre,  strung  with  tedious  care,  he  trustfully 
entered  the  realm  of  hades  and  essayed  entrance  to  the  palace 
of  Pluto. 

At  the  thrice-guarded  gates  further  advance  was  denied. 


TJie  Heart,  the -Source  of  Power.  17 

The  prayer  from  the  depths  of  his  hungry  soul  he  poured 
over  the  sensitive  strings  of  his  second  love,  the  lyre.  At  the 
first  note  from  the  "golden  shell"  the  chariot  wheels  of  the 
gods  stood  fast,  Tantalus  forgot  the  infernal  torment  of  his 
insatiable  thirst,  the  vulture  ceased  to  tear  the  constantly  re 
produced  vitals  of  Titios,  the  palace  gates  turned  upon  their 
golden  hinges,  and  Pluto,  melted  into  sympathy  with  the  bereft 
soul  that  sobbed  out  the  story  of  its  lonely  sorrow  on  the  harp 
strings,  granted  the  prayer.  Eurydice  was  released. 

This  scrap  of  mythology  reveals  to  us,  that  according  to  the 
judgment  of  men  of  that  far-away  day  of  its  authorship,  the 
power  of  perfect  art  was  unlimited.  Was  that  conception  un 
warranted?  May  it  not  be  that  the  only  limit  of  the  ministry 
of  art  is  the  attainment  of  the  artist.  The  principal  realm  of 
the  ministry  of  art  is  the  affections,  the  emotions,  the  passions. 
Art  is  not  primarily  a  teacher.  Its  concern  is  not  to  instruct 
in  fundamental  truths  or  radical  principles.  It  does  not  engage 
in  intellectual  controversies,  or  go  to  war.  It  forever  appeals 
to  what  is  already  known  and  freely  granted,  or  by  the  win- 
someness  of  its  appeals  disarms  the  contentiously  disposed. 
Its  ministry  is  invariably  to  its  friends;  toward  the  unfriendly 
it  is  speechless  forever.  It  silences  the  opposer,  or  remains 
silent  toward  him. 

The  ministry  of  music  to  man  is  through  a  single  sense; 
painting  and  sculpture  through  another.  The  art  of  arts,  that 
art  of  which  all  others  are  part  expressions,  appeals  to  the 
wJiole  man,  to  head  and  heart,  reason,  affections  and  emotions, 
calling  into  highest  and  holiest  activity  the  choicest  qualities 
and  noblest  power  of  his  being. 

This  is  the  art  of  oratory. 

Books  —  the  vaults  in  which  have  been  accumulated  the 
gains  of  the  intellectual  toilers  of  the  ages  —  have  contributed 
immensely  to  the  progress  of  mankind.  Teachers,  too,  often 
like  nature's  forces,  have  wrought  in  silence,  but  in  might,  in 
the  world's  advancement.  But  in  the  long  march  from  canni 
balism  to  civilization,  from  barbarism  to  Christianity;  from  the 
Egypt  of  slavery  of  body  to  masters,  and  of  mind  to  priests,  to 
the  Canaan  of  liberty  —  both  the  pillar  of  cloud  and  fire,  that 
has  been  both  guidance  and  cheer  to  the  leaden-hearted  and 
heavy-footed  multitudes  in  the  weary  ages  that  lay  between  the 


1 8  Winning  Orations. 

start  toward  the  better  state  and  the  attainment  of  it,  has  been 
the  oratory  of  those  ages. 

The  trumpet  that  has  aroused  the  sluggish  from  lethargy  to 
activity,  the  faint-hearted  from  submission  to  oppression,  to 
resistance  of  it,  that  has  cheered  the  slave  of  appetite  on  in 
the  struggle  for  kingship  over  self,  has  been  the  voice  of  the 
orator. 

This  art,  without  the  possibility  of  aid  of  strings,  or  mallet 
and  chisel,  or  paints  and  canvas,  with  truth  its  subject,  the  soul 
of  man  its  immediate  object,  has  been  the  herculean  force  in 
the  world  among  men.  What  is  the  secret  of  its  power? 
Masters  in  the  sciences  tell  us  that  the  source  of  energy  in  the 
natural  world  is  heat.  In  the  realm  of  the  arts  it  is  true  be 
yond  dispute  that  the  deeper  the  pathos,  the  sweeter  the  poem. 
The  sobs  of  a  wounded  heart  awaken  the  tenderest  responses, 
and  stir  the  deepest  emotions.  The  more  impassioned  the 
song,  the  greater  the  enchantment.  The  intenser  the  passion 
portrayed,  the  more  captivating  the  picture.  The  fire  burning 
in  the  soul  of  painter  or  sculptor  glows  from  the  canvas,  or 
radiates  from  the  marble  to  which  the  artist  tried  to  transfer 
the  picture  carried  in  his  soul.  In  poems,  paintings  and  stat- 
•  uary  are  registered,  as  upon  a  thermometer,  the  temperature 
of  the  passion  of  their  artist  creators  at  the  hour  of  the  trans 
fer  of  the  picture  from  soul  to  material.  As  the  field  of  the 
orator's  art  is  wider,  its  sphere  broader,  so  are  its  obstacles 
more,  its  difficulties  greater.  Its  range  is  the  whole  gamut  of 
man's  nature.  Sight,  the  avenue  through  which  the  painter 
and  sculptor  reach  the  soul;  hearing,  the  gateway  of  the  musi 
cian  to  the  temple  within,  are  at  the  orator's  disposal,  as  well 
as  every  element  of  the  intellectual  and  moral  nature,  every 
emotion  of  the  soul.  Every  fibre  of  man's  being  recognizes 
his  touch,  and  responds  to  his  call. 

But  truth  cannot  often  be  painted,  nor  principles  chiseled. 
Herein  lies  one  of  the  difficulties.  In  oratory  the  soul  charged 
with  a  great  thought,  or  a  cruth,  must  ordinarily  discard  all 
media,  and  express  itself  immediately.  Mind  in  immediate 
contact  with  mind,  and  soul  to  soul,  is  the  attitude  in  oratory. 
In  the  material  world,  we  observe  again,  heat  is  the  source  of 
energy.  In  the  arts,  in  general,  heart  intensity  is  the  measure 
of  effectiveness.  In  this  particular  art  it  is  pre-eminently  true 


The  Heart,  the  Source  of  Power.  19 

that  triumphs  in  it  are  where  one  soul  on  fire  with  truth  sets 
others  aflame  by  immediately  communicating  that  truth  to 
them.  The  results  of  the  communication  are  usually  in  pro 
portion  to  the  grasp  of  the  truth  upon  the  soul  of  the  orator, 
and  the  intensity  of  his  earnestness  in  delivering  it  to  others. 
Highly  emotional  states,  that  spring  from  deep  and  clear  con 
victions  of  truth  that  are  well  expressed,  are  followed  by  action 
in  the  direction  dictated  by  the  truth-giving  origin  to  the 
emotional  state.  No  harp  string,  or  chord  of  lyre,  is  so  ex- 
quisitively  sensitive  and  responsive  to  a  master's  touch  as  the 
emotions  of  man. 

Horace,  that  old  master  of  human  nature,  long  ago  wrote 
in  substance: 

"Answeringly  the  face  of  man  laughs 
To  those  that  laugh  indeed,  and  weep  to  those  that  weep." 

Thoughts  are  expressed  by  words.  The  emotions  have 
their  own  peculiar  unworded  language  of  mystical  signs.  Each 
emotion,  every  shade  of  emotion,  each  passion,  every  mood  of 
mind,  has  its  own  peculiar  dialect  of  symbolical  signs,  which 
express  even  the  most  delicate  shades  of  quality  and  intensity 
of  feeling.  It  is  by  these  that  the  emotions  and  passions  com 
municate  themselves  from  orator  to  auditors,  definitely  ex 
pressed,  and  thoroughly  understood.  However  much  the 
thought  of  the  orator  may  be  misunderstood,  misinterpreted, 
and  misapplied,  the  emotions  never  are.  Genuine  feeling  ex 
presses  itself  accurately,  and  is  understood  definitely.  So  is 
pretended  feeling  at  once  detected,  and  instantly  condemned. 
We  need  not  look  at  a  thermometer  to  see  whether  the  tem 
perature  is  ninety  above  or  thirty  below.  We  feel,  and  so 
know  the  difference.  So  does  an  audience  intuitively  and 
unconsciously  take  the  temperature  of  an  orator  accurately. 
The  string  of  the  piano  is  deaf  and  mute  to  all  tones  except 
the  one  to  which  it  is  strung. 

The  emotions  make  no  answer  to  arguments  directed  to  the 
head,  but  heart  does  answer  heart  in  the  same  pitch  as  that  in 
which  it  is  addressed.  The  breeze  against  the  sails  propels  the 
ship,  and  the  pressure  of  steam  in  the  chest  gives  motion  to 
the  engine;  so  do  the  emotions  acting  upon  the  will  beget 
action  in  the  direction  in  which  they  impel.  The  flight  of  the 
ship  and  the  speed  of  the  engine  show  the  velocity  of  the 


2O  Winning  Orations. 

wind  and  pressure  of  the  steam.  So  does  the  disposition  of 
an  audience  to  act  responsively  to  the  persuasions  of  an  orator 
furnish  the  infallible  test  of  the  effectiveness  of  the  oration. 

Higher  compliment  was  never  paid  an  orator  than  the  cry  of 
the  Athenians  at  the  close  of  one  of  Demosthenes's  harangues, 
"Let  us  march  against  Philip."  The  dissatisfaction  among  the 
American  colonists  at  the  injustice  and  oppression  of  the 
mother  country  was  general,  but  the  indignities  were  endured 
without  protest  till  those  whirlwinds  of  fiery  indignation  burst 
from  the  breasts  of  the  Otises  and  the  Henrys,  who  in  holy 
recklessness  dared  denounce  tyranny  in  their  own  king.  It 
was  the  manly  courage,  the  sublime  heroism,  the  lofty  patriot 
ism  of  these  forest  Demostheneses,  ringing  out  across  the  col 
onies,  that  lighted  the  fires  of  liberty  on  the  hearth-stones  in 
the  cabins  of  the  people  throughout  the  land.  With  courage 
aroused,  and  determination  fixed,  with  patriotism  aflame,  the 
rallying  of  the  people  through  those  long  years  of  privation 
was  to  the  standards  which  those  "master  spirits  of  storm 
had  lifted  on  high."  From  these  few  souls  issued  streams  of 
patriotic  fire,  which  spread  from  hearth  to  hearth,  till  the  homes 
of  the  New  World  felt  its  influence,  and  every  patriot  was  aglow 
with  its  holy  warmth.  These  few  outspoken  haters  of  tyranny; 
the  few  whose  petition  was  "give  me  liberty  or  give  me 
death"  became  the  inspiration  of  millions.  The  earnest- 
hearted  few,  ardently  desiring  liberty  for  the  colonies,  domi 
nated  by  the  single  purpose  of  having  it  whatever  might  be  the 
cost,  by  virtue  of  that  desire  and  that  determination  became 
leaders  of  millions  of  others. 

In  all  those  weary  years  from  Bunker  Hill  to  Yorktown,  in 
the  uncomplaining  sufferings  of  hunger  and  cold,  in  the  quiet 
endurance  of  anguish  in  the  hospitals  of  painful  suffering,  who 
can  not  read  the  impress  and  hear  the  echo  of  that  sublime 
sentiment,  "  give  me  liberty  or  give  me  death."  So  has  it  always 
been,  and  while  human  nature  remains  what  it  is,  it  will  always 
be,  that  he  who  leads  the  way  from  the  worse  to  the  better, 
that  he  who  charms,  sweetens,  thrills,  and  betters  other's  lives, 
carries  in  his  heart  the  source  of  power. 


BRITISH   RULE  IN  INDIA. 


By  GEORGE  T.  FOSTER,  of  Beloit  College. 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 

George  T.  Foster,  the  successful  competitor  for  the  second 
prize  of  the  first  inter-State  oratorical  contest,  in  1874,  was 
born  August  3,  1852,  at  Lancaster,  Grant  County,  Wisconsin. 
At  an  early  age  his  parents  sent  him  to  the  Lancaster  Institute, 
a  private  academy  founded  under  the  management  of  Sherman 
Page,  the  man  who  subsequently  as  circuit  judge  in  Mower 
County,  Minnesota,  gained  notoriety.  His  next  experience 
was  as  a  student  at  Beloit  College.  In  the  preparatory  depart 
ment  of  this  institution  he  was  under  John  P.  Fisk  as  master. 
During  his  college  course  for  two  years  he  was  a  roommate 
of  E.  D.  Eaton,  D.  D.,  now  president  of  the  college,  and  for 
three  years  a  classmate  of  Chicago's  famous  criminal  lawyer, 
Wm.  S.  Forrest.  In  1873  he  was  offered  an  appointment  to 
West  Point  by  J.  Allen  Barber,  then  member  of  Congress,  but 
declined,  which  action  he  has  never  regretted.  After  graduat 
ing  in  1875  he  was  principal  successively  of  the  high  schools 
at  Potosi  and  New  Lisbon,  Wisconsin,  and  at  Cherokee,  Iowa. 
Three  years  later  he  was  married  to  Miss  Lizzie  G.  Eunor,  of 
Potosi,  Wisconsin,  who  graduated  as  valedictorian  of  the  class 
of  1873  from  Sinsinawa  Mound  College.  Besides  winning  the 
second  prize  for  oratory  at  the  inter-State  oratorical  contest 
of  1874,  he  also  received  the  freshman  prize  for  declamation 
in  1872,  at  Beloit  College.  He  delivered  the  master's  oration 
in  1878,  and  will  return  this  year  to  deliver  the  alumni  oration. 
Mr.  Foster  has  of  late  years  delivered  a  great  number  of  ora 
tions  and  lectures,  and  is  known  as  a  popular  and  eloquent 
speaker.  His  voice  is  full,  and  remarkably  flexible.  During 
a  portion  of  his  time  from  1875  to  1878  he  read  law  in  the  office 
of  Barber  &  Clementson,  Lancaster,  Wisconsin,  and  at  this 

(21) 


22  Winning  Orations. 

writing  he  is  successfully  engaged  in  the  profession  of  law  at 
Cherokee,  Iowa,  where  he  is  universally  respected,  and  it  is 
hoped  many  more  years  of  successful  life  are  yet  before  him. 
The  oration  which  follows  is  admitted  to  be  his  masterpiece. 


THE  ORATION. 

Delivered  at  the  Inter-State  Oratorical  Contest,  at  Galesburg,  Illinois, 
February,  1874,  taking  second  prize.  Judges:  Dr.  A.  BURNS,  Prof.  A.  STF.T- 
SON,  Judge  A.  A.  SMITH. 

Mystery  has  peculiar  charms.  India  has  ever  been  mantled 
with  blank  mysteries.  Her  earlier  history  is  lost  in  imagina 
tive  stories  and  romantic  fables.  The  legend  that  antiquity's 
greatest  woman,  Semiramis,  invaded  India,  and  the  fact  that 
Alexander  subdued  a  part  of  the  country,  stand  out  against 
the  remaining  gloom  like  rockets  against  the  blackness  of 
night.  In  some  unknown  way  the  nations  of  remote  antiquity 
were  supplied  from  India  with  the  precious  metals,  the  rarest 
gems,  "purple  and  fine  linen."  The  knights  of  the  Middle 
Ages  obtained  their  "Damascus"  blades  from  beyond  the 
Indus.  Nowadays  India  sends  forth  her  troops  of  unsurpassed 
jugglers,  who  apparently  have  revived  the  old  black  arts  of 
magic,  and  the  American  belles  sport  their  camel's  hair  shawls, 
woven  in  the  sunny  vales  of  Cashmere. 

Not  merely  for  curiosity  does  India  possess  charms  and 
interest.  Beneath  her  mysteries  the  scholar  and  the  student 
discover  matter  for  the  deepest  study.  For  the  consideration 
of  the  scholar,  India  presents  the  oldest  language  of  which  we 
have  any  records,  the  Sanskrit,  whose  origin  points  back  to  a 
time  near  the  confusion  of  tongues  at  the  tower  of  Babel.  To 
the  student,  she  offers  the  study  of  her  history,  graven  upon 
her  ruined  temples,  upon  the  fallen  columns  and  broken  arches 
of  her  ancient  royalty.  Europe,  having  long  possessed  the 
trade  of  all  the  Orient,  has  grown  familiar  with  questions  con 
nected  with  Asia.  Until  quite  recently  Americans  have  had 
little  reason  to  allow  their  attention  to  wander  across  the 
Pacific  Ocean,  and  for  us,  therefore,  these  questions  at  least 
possess  the  charm  of  novelty.  Since  the  completion  of  the 
Union  Pacific  Railroad,  the  most  direct  route  from  eastern 
Asia  to  Europe  lies  directly  through  the  heart  of  our  country 


British  Rule  in  India.  23 

from  San  Francisco  to  New  York.  Trade  and  travel  arc  al 
ready  forming  a  beaten  track  in  this  direction.  The  spices 
and  silks  of  the  East  are  finding  their  way  to  Europe  along 
this  route.  There  is  thus  held  before  America  the  dazzling 
prize  of  controlling  the  intercourse  between  Europe  on  the  one 
hand,  and  India,  China,  Japan,  and  the  East  Indies  on  the 
other.  If  the  United  States  can  acquire  and  hold  this  trade,  the 
merchant  fleets  of  the  world  will  flock  to  our  marts  of  com 
merce  on  the  Atlantic  and  Pacific  coasts,  and  our  multiplied 
canals  and  railways  "bearing  the  commerce  of  nations,"  will 
make  our  country  the  emporium  of  the  world. 

As  we  are  thus  drawn  toward  India,  we  feel  a  greater  inter 
est  in  the  questions  of  her  history.  We  cannot  help  thinking 
that  she  is  destined  to  play  a  prominent  part  in  the  coming 
centuries.  This  seems  reasonable,  in  view  of  her  vast  popula 
tion,  which  is  as  great  as  that  of  all  North  America,  all  South 
America,  Great  Britain  and  Ireland,  Spain,  Russia,  and  all  the 
islands  of  the  world. 

"Know  ye  the  land  of  the  cedar  and  vine, 
Where  the  flowers  ever  blossom,  the  beams  ever  shine; 
Where  the  light  wings  of  zephyr,  oppressed  with  perfume, 
Wax  faint  o'er  the  gardens  of  Gul  in  her  bloom; 
Where  the  citron  and  olive  are  fairest  of  fruit, 
And  the  voice  of  the  nightingale  never  is  mute; 
Where  the  tints  of  the  earth,  and  the  hues  of  the  sky, 
In  color,  though  varied,  in  beauty  may  vie?  .   .   . 
Tis  the  clime  of  the  East;  'tis  the  land  of  the  Sun." 

Nature,  with  lavish  hand,  has  bestowed  upon  that  country 
endowments  susceptible  of  indefinite  improvement.  But  have 
they  been  improved  by  the  rule  to  which  India  is  subject? 
Many  people,  from  reading  the  great  orations  that  were  made 
on  this  subject  about  a  hundred  years  ago,  have  almost  con 
cluded  that  it  would  have  been  better  for  the  Hindoos  had 
the  British  remained  forever  away.  Yet,  on  contrasting  their 
present  with  their  past  condition,  there  remains  little  room  for 
doubt  that,  by  England,  India  has  been  elevated  to  a  position 
of  rapid  growth  in  civil  institutions,  mental  acquirements,  and 
moral  strength.  This  is  shown  by  facts  more  eloquent  than 
words,  by  statistics  more  irresistible  than  arguments. 

Two  views  may  be  taken  of  India.  The  first,  previous  to 
the  British  conquest.  Five  hundred  years  ago  the  clouds, 


24  Winning  Orations. 

which  had  shrouded  India  for  fifty  centuries  began  to  rise. 
As  they  lifted  they  revealed  a  sight  never  witnessed  elsewhere 
in  history.  The  tyranny  and  superstition  of  man  were  here 
struggling  against  the  overflowing  bounties  of  nature.  It  was 
a  country  teeming  with  population,  having  within  its  power 
great  wealth;  but,  sunk  to  the  lowest  depths  of  heathenism, 
the  rites  of  human  sacrifice,  the  burning  of  widows,  the  killing 
of  children,  self-torture,  and  suicide,  were  then  practiced  with 
the  inflexible  strictness  of  Pharisees.  The  distinctions  of  caste 
were  far  more  rigidly  observed  than  now.  The  whole  country 
swarmed  with  robbers.  There  existed  a  large  sect  whose  re 
ligion  was  murder;  who  killed  strangers,  friends,  and  relatives, 
as  a  religious  duty. 

In  one  respect,  India,  at  that  time,  bore  a  striking  resem 
blance  to  Persia.  In  both  countries  large  districts  of  land  had 
been  tilled  from  time  immemorial.  As  a  consequence,  the 
fertility  of  the  soil  had  been  much  reduced.  Successive  gener 
ations  had  cleared  the  country  of  all  timber.  This  affected  the 
atmosphere,  and  produced  a  scarcity  of  rain.  Droughts,  in  their 
turn,  destroyed  all  remaining  vegetation,  and  dried  up  all  the 
productive  power  of  the  earth.  Rains  became  unknown,  fam 
ines  became  the  regular  occurrence,  and  the  once  fertile  soil 
was  rapidly  becoming  marked  with  somber  hues  of  devouring 
deserts.  As  the  inhabitants  had  no  connection  with  the  out 
side  world,  and  thus  could  receive  no  assistance  from  abroad, 
so  whenever  their  crop  of  rice  failed  devastating  famines  re 
sulted,  and  there  was  nothing  left  for  them  but  to  lie  down  and 
die.  Famine  succeeded  famine  in  rapid  succession,  attended 
in  almost  every  case  by  pestilence  in  the  form  of  Asiatic 
cholera.  Persia,  Northern  India,  were  thus  becoming  an  unin 
habited,  unproductive  wilderness.  The  entire  country  was 
divided  into  innumerable  petty  districts,  each  governed  by  an 
absolute  despotism,  tyrannical  and  cruel  as  only  an  oriental 
despotism  can  be;  nine-tenths  of  the  population  reduced  to 
servitude  by  the  oppression  of  the  Eastern  tax-gatherer.  The 
history  of  these  small  governments  is  little  else  than  an  inter 
minable  series  of  revolutions.  Seldom  did  a  rule  last  a  lifetime, 
Each  division  carried  on  a  continual  predatory  warfare  with 
each  of  its  neighbors.  All  was  rebellion,  anarchy,  and  chaos. 
Internal  wars  were  finishing  up  the  work  of  famine,  pestilence, 


British  Rule  in  India.  25 

oppression,  and  superstition.  A  country  in  this  mutinous  state 
presented  an  easy  conquest  to  the  fierce  warrior-tribe  north  of 
the  Himalayas,  and  west  of  the  Indus.  Hence  we  see  them 
pouring  down  through  the  passes  of  the  mountains.  First 
came  the  Persian  hordes;  their  ravages  were  followed  by  the 
long-continued  invasions  of  the  ferocious  Afghans.  After  these 
succeeded  the  inroads  of  the  Rajpoots,  mercenary  soldiers, 
Seiks,  Jahrets,  and  Mahratos.  Before  these  shaggy  demons 
of  the  wilderness,  the  Indian  peasants  who  escaped  the  sword 
fled  to  the  wilder  neighborhood  of  the  hyena  and  tiger.  Ter 
rible  as  was  this  scourge  for  India,  the  worst  was  reserved  until 
the  last.  Mohammedan  kings  had  resolved  on  the  conversion 
of  the  Hindoos  to  the  faith  of  Islam.  In  this  they  failed. 
Exasperated  with  defeat,  they  determined  to  exterminate  the 
Hindoos.  In  this  they  met  with  better  success.  With  eastern 
devotion  they  girded  themselves  for  the  work.  They  swept 
the  country  as  with  the  besom  of  destruction.  A  single  king 
led  twelve  separate  expeditions  into  India.  Death  seldom 
reaped  such  a  harvest.  The  work  of  extermination  seemed 
approaching  its  consummation,  when  the  Mohammedans  tired 
of  their  own  bloody  work.  Scarcely  had  they  retired,  when, 
from  the  tableland  of  Asia,  the  home  of  the  Huns,  there  came 
the  cruel  Tartars,  led  by  Tamerlane  Timoor.  He  was  the  con 
queror  who  sought  fame  by  erecting  monuments  of  human 
bones;  who  seemed  to  have  a  passion  for  that  style  of  archi 
tecture.  Of  him  the  historian  says:  "When  Tamerlane  had 
finished  building  his  pyramid  of  seventy  thousand  human 
skulls,  and  was  seen  standing  at  the  gates  of  Damascus,  glitter 
ing  in  his  steel,  with  his  battle-ax  on  his  shoulder,  till  his 
fierce  hosts  filed  out  to  new  victories  and  carnage  in  southern 
India,  the  pale  looker-on  might  have  fancied  that  nature  was 
in  her  death-throes;  for  havoc  and  despair  had  taken  posses 
sion  of  the  earth,  and  the  sun  of  manhood  seem  setting  in  a 
sea  of  blood."  Thanks  to  the  muse  of  history  that  she  never 
permitted  the  details  of  those  horrors  to  be  chronicled.  It  is 
well  that  a  career  marked  by  columns  and  pyramids  of  human 
skulls  should  forever  remain  a  mystery.  The  despotism  thus 
founded,  maintaining  its  strength  until  the  British  accession, 
filled  out  a  period  of  three  thousand  years  in  which  India 
made  not  a  single  step  in  advancement,  and  which  presents 


26  Winning  Orations. 

not  a  single  redeeming  feature.  This  is  the  first  view  which 
history  gives  of  India. 

The  second  view  dates  from  the  British  accession.  The 
remedy  which  England  applied  to  Indian  degradation,  though 
it  has  been  effective,  and  though  eventually  it  will  prove  com 
plete,  yet  was  not  immediate  in  good  results.  The  atrocities 
of  some  of  her  rulers  have  sullied  the  honor  of  the  English 
nation,  and  have  left  upon  her  records  a  stain  so  indelible  that 
years  of  just  rule  have  not  been  sufficient  to  wipe  it  out.  The 
world  shudders  at  the  stories  of  the  Rohilla  war,  of  the  plun 
dering  of  the  Begums  of  Oude,  of  the  hiring  out  of  British 
soldiers  to  a  heathen  despot,  and  of  the  cruel  punishment  in 
flicted  on  captives  taken  in  the  Sepoy  rebellion,  when  they 
were  strapped  to  the  mouths  of  cannons  and  blown  to  pieces. 
It  is  a  matter  of  shame  that  the  East  India  Company  was  per 
mitted  for  so  long  a  time  to  practice  monopoly  and  extortion; 
it  is  a  matter  of  shame  that,  for  a  short  time,  they  prohibited 
Christian  missionaries  from  their  borders;  and  it  is  a  matter  of 
shame  that  they  once  decorated  Hindoo  temples,  thus  patron 
izing  idolatry.  But  when  we  reflect  that  Burke,  Sheridan,  and 
Fox  lived  to  see  redressed  all  the  wrongs  of  India,  and  that 
country  placed  under  as  pure  a  rule  as  even  those  great  critics 
could  wish;  when  we  consider  that  the  opposition  to  mission 
aries  aroused  the  Christians  to  such  strenuous  efforts  as  only 
that  opposition  could  have  aroused;  when,  through  the  vicissi 
tudes  of  her  history,  there  begins  to  gleam  forth  as  in  lines  of 
fire  "the  tracing  of  God's  finger,"  then  the  evils  of  British  rule 
sink  into  nothingness  compared  with  the  untold  horrors  of  the 
previous  rule  of  Mohammedans  and  Tartars.  If  the  British 
have  been  guilty  of  some  wrongs,  they  have  overshadowed 
each  one  of  them  by  huge  mountains  of  benefits. 

First,  let  us  look  at  the  civil  and  physical  benefits  which 
they  have  conferred  on  India.  That  which  they  found  neces 
sary  to  accomplish  at  the  outset  was  the  establishment  of  a 
government  sufficiently  strong  to  quell  internal  rebellions,  and 
to  render  the  country  safe  from  foreign  invasion.  This  was 
done  thoroughly  and  completely.  The  natives  were  trained  to 
obedience  to  home-rule,  and  to  self-defense  against  aggressive 
tribes.  The  Decoits,  the  robber-bands,  were  disorganized,  and 
their  leaders  transported  to  foreign  lands.  The  Thugs,  the 


British  Rule  in  India.  27 

sect  whose  religion  was  murder,  were  exterminated.  The  rites 
of  human  sacrifice,  of  the  suttee,  and  of  infanticide,  were  sup 
pressed  by  the  most  stringent  laws.  We  hear  no  more  of 
foreign  invasions,  and  the  country  which  so  long  had  been 
turbulent  with  anarchy  was  now  free  to  enjoy  the  blessing  of 
peace. 

England  next  turned  her  attention  to  the  prevention  of 
famines.  To  provide  means  of  transportation  she  built  canals 
all  through  the  rainless  regions  of  India.  One  of  these  is  five 
times  as  large  as  the  Erie  canal.  Year  after  year  these  great 
arteries  were  lined  with  canal  boats  laden  with  provisions  for 
the  starving  millions  of  India.  Year  after  year  saw  the  silent 
progress  of  vegetation  creeping  up  from  the  banks  of  the 
canals,  and  stealing  silently  over  the  surrounding  country. 
Year  after  year  found  the  British  engaged  in  the  work  of  irri 
gation,  in  cleaning  out,  repairing,  enlarging  old  reservoirs,  and 
building  new  ones.  Year  after  year  young  trees  were  brought 
from  distant  forests,  and  planted  on  the  banks  of  the  canals, 
until  at  length  these  various  influences  combined  to  produce 
there  what  had  hitherto  been  unknown  —  they  produced  rain. 
With  astonishing  success,  England  at  once  introduced  from 
her  island  home,  barley,  oats,  corn,  and  wheat.  Large  tracts 
of  Hindoostan,  which  once  were  inhabited  by  a  perishing  pop 
ulation,  and  where  were  only  the  bleached  and  drifting  sands 
of  the  desert, .are  now  inhabited  by  an  enlightened  people,  are 
covered  with  waving  fields  of  golden  grain,  and  blossom  with 
perpetual  harvests. 

The  critics  of  England  estimate  the  number  of  natives 
killed  in  the  wars  of  India,  since  the  British  conquest,  at  the 
extravagant  figure  of  3,000,000.  The  advocates  of  British  rule 
can  point  to  30,000,000  Hindoos  saved  by  England  from  the 
horrors  of  famine.  We  have  seen  that  one  hundred  years  ago 
Persia  and  India  lay  side  by  side  in  the  physical  condition 
of  the  country.  Persia  remained  independent,  and  in  1872, 
3,000,000  of  her  inhabitants  perished  from  famine.  India  fell 
to  Great  Britian,  and  in  1872  her  newly  developed  resources 
were  employed  in  sending  relief  to  the  dying  nation  of  Persia. 

As  yet  it  is  not  a  foregone  conclusion,  that  the  rainfall  in 
all  parts  of  Hindoostan  will  be  great  enough  to  render  abun 
dant  crops  certain  each  year.  It  has  sometimes  happened 


28  Winning  Orations. 

there,  as  in  our  own  land,  that  while  in  the  greater  part  of  the 
country  there  have  been   plenteous   harvests,  yet  in  a  single 
district  the  crops  have  been  an  entire  failure.     The  want  of 
provisions,  consequent  upon  drought,  is  felt  at  this  very  time 
in  the  district  of  Bengal.     But  we  learn  that  breadstuff's  and 
rice  are  going  from  the  other  parts  of  India  into  that  needy 
province  at  the  rate  of   10,000  tons  per  week.     A  drought  in 
that  country  can  never  again  produce  a  depopulation  famine. 
These  are  some  of  the  things  which  Englishmen  have  done 
for  India.     They  have  laid  open  to  her  the  manufacture  of 
India-rubber.    They  have  checked  the  consuming  of  her  forests 
for   fuel,  have    taught   the   natives  from   the   timber  to  build 
ships  for  European  navies,  and  have  gone  down  into  the  bowels 
of  the  earth  to  disclose  to  the  wondering  natives   that  they 
have  an  infinite  wealth  of  coal.     They  have  improved  and  en 
larged   the   manufacture  of  indigo,  silk,  and  opium.     Opium! 
whose  culture  has,  in  some  respects,  largely  benefited  India. 
It  is  commonly  supposed  that  it  has  not,  but  statistics  show 
that,  while  the  growth  of  the  poppy  has  vastly  increased,  the 
actual  consumption  of  opium  in  India  has  scarcely  increased 
at  all.     The  culture  of  the  poppy  supplies  with  employment 
great  communities  of  idlers,  and  its  sale  to  the  Chinese  has 
become  a  source  of  great  revenue.     The  English  have  brought 
the  tea-plant  from  China,  the  sugar-cane  from  the  West  Indies, 
and  they  have  taught  the  naked  savage  to  raise  them  both. 
They  brought  the  cotton-plant  from  the  West  Indies,  and  they 
taught  the  natives  its  cultivation.     They  brought  sheep  from 
Australia;  they  brought  looms  from  London;  they  have  taught 
the  natives  from  the  cotton  and  the  wool  to  weave  cloth  which 
they  make  into  clothing,  which  they  have  taught  the  natives  to 
wear.     England  has  also  improved  the  mental  state  of  India. 
Vast  sums  of  money  are  expended  annually  in  the  work  of 
education.     A  system   of  free   schools   is   maintained   by  the 
local   governments   and   missionaries,  and   in   aid   of  this  the 
central  government   annually  devotes  over  £500,000  sterling. 
There  is  scarcely  a  town  in  all  India  that  is  without  its  schools 
and  its  hospitals,  as  is  shown   by  the  fact  that  there   are  in 
operation    there    three   universities,    300   colleges,    and    25,000 
schools,  attended  by  nearly  a  million  children.     Some  of  the 
native  Hindoos  are  among  the  best  physicians  and  civil  en- 


British  Rule  in  India.  29 

gineers  in  the  world.  Her  scholars  rank  among  the  first. 
Take,  for  instance,  the  great  Sheshadre,  who  is  now  visiting 
this  country.  She  has  a  native  press  as  free  as  ours,  and  as 
extensive  as  that  of  many  European  governments.  In  the 
City  of  Calcutta  there  are  published  between  fifty  and  sixty 
periodicals,  which  sell  at  the  low  price  of  one-fourth  of  a  cent 
per  copy.  Truly  India  is  attaining  the  glory  of  what  Carlyle 
would  call  "her  writing  period." 

India  has  also  been  elevated  morally.  This  work,  however, 
has  progressed  slowly  when  compared  with  her  civil  and  intel 
lectual  advancement.  But  we  must  remember  that  India  was 
in  bondage  for  3,000  years,  and  that  in  a  single  century  England 
could  no  more  break  down  the  barriers  of  superstition  and  the 
distinctions  of  caste  than  she  could  roll  down  the  Himalayas 
into  the  Indian  Ocean.  But  in  spite  of  gigantic  obstacles  the 
work  has  advanced. 

No  one  can  estimate  the  influence  which  Western  improve 
ment  has  upon  the  Hindoo  mind.  We  have  an  illustration  of 
it  in  the  effect  produced  by  the  introduction  of  railroads. 
The  locomotive  has  traversed  all  India;  it  has  thundered  along 
the  banks  of  the  Ganges;  its  scream  has  been  heard  within  the 
shadows  of  the  Himalayas;  it  has  been  the  means  of  an  ex 
tended  intercourse  among  the  people;  with  its  iron  frame  it 
has  crushed  right  through  superstition,  and  it  has  produced 
freedom  of  thought.  It  is  the  belief  of  the  high  caste  Brah 
mins,  that  if  they  are  brought  in  contact  with  those  of  a  lower 
caste  they  will  be  shut  out  of  heaven.  With  this  for  a  plea, 
they  petitioned  the  railroad  managers  to  run  caste  cars.  The 
railroads  officials,  who  are  quite  as  wise  for  their  own  interest 
in  India  as  they  are  in  Illinois,  replied: 

"REVEREND  SIRS:  We  shall  run  not  caste  cars,  but  class  cars. 
You  pay  your  money,  and  you  take  your  choice." 

This  was  the  severest  blow  that  Brahminism  ever  received. 
At  that  reply  thousands  of  idols  fell  from  their  pedestals  like 
Dagon  of  old,  and  to-day  are  kicked  about  the  streets  of  Bom 
bay  and  Calcutta.  Soon  every  night-owl  of  India  shall  have  a 
discarded  image  to  roost  upon,  and  every  mole  a  broken  idol 
beneath  which  to  burrow. 

Yes,  the  awakening  of  India  is  near.  The  Himalayas  no 
longer  look  down  upon  a  land  impotent  in  stagnation.  The 


3<D  Winning  Orations. 

Ganges  no  longer  flows  to  the  sea,  drowning  with  its  swift- 
rushing  current  the  cries  of  the  infant  thrown  to  the  crocodile, 
or  the  frantic  shout  of  the  devotee  who  flings  himself  from  a 
precipice  into  its  waters;  but  the  mighty  river  moves  on  in 
majesty  to  the  sacred  chime  of  bells  ringing  from  Christian 
churches,  to  the  grand  music  of  water-wheels,  to  the  hum  of 
factories,  and  to  the  thunders  of  the  locomotive.  The  vast 
plains  of  Hindoostan  are  being  peopled  with  the  followers  of 
the  Cross.  Haste!  oh,  haste!  you  who  would  have  your  name 
enrolled  among  those  who  have  contributed  to  the  regeneration 
of  India,  for  soon,  very  soon  the  choirs  in  our  churches  shall 
have  no  cause  to  chant  the  thrilling  hymn  telling  us  that  there 
comes  a  cry  for  help 

"From  Greenland's  icy  mountains 
And  India's  coral  strands." 

From  Cashmere  to  Cape  Comorin  the  seeds  of  freedom  are 
springing  into  vigorous  life.  The  land  of  the  sun  is  steadily 
rising  to  that  place  among  modern  nations  which  she  held 
among  the  ancients  while  Abraham  was  sojourning  in  Egypt, 
and  Semiramis  was  building  Babylon.  She  already  sends  dele 
gates  to  the  Evangelical  Alliance,  and  as  the  British  Empire 
turns  gradually  into  a  grand  republic,  India  will  be  prepared  to 
send  representatives  to  the  British  Parliament,  or  shall  stand 
free,  prepared  to  send  representatives  to  the  "Parliament  of 
Man." 


CULTURE,  A  BASIS  OF  BROTHERHOOD. 


By  THOMAS  I.  COULTAS,  of  Illinois  Wesleyan  University. 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 

Thomas  Isaac  Coultas  was  born  in  Scott  County,  Illinois, 
May  5,  1853,  and  is  of  English  parentage.  He  is  the  youngest 
of  seven  children.  When  six  years  of  age  his  father  died,  leav 
ing  the  care  of  the  farm  and  rearing  of  the  children  almost 
entirely  upon  his  mother.  Her  force  and  nobleness  of  char 
acter  had  marked  influence  over  her  children,  and  she  early 
led  them  into  Christian  lives.  She  thought  Thomas  was  des 
tined  to  the  service  of  the  ministry,  and  at  an  early  age  he 
conceived  the  same  impression,  ofttimes  standing  on  a  chair 
and  preaching  to  the  neighbors  who  came  in,  insisting,  however, 
that  the  service  was  not  complete  without  the  collection.  He 
first  attended  a  country  school,  and  at  the  age  of  fourteen  he 
entered  the  Winchester  High  School,  where  in  two  years  he 
finished  the  course.  At  sixteen  years  of  age  he  was  urged  to 
accept  license  to  preach,  and  the  country  school-houses  and 
village  churches  were  crowded  to  hear  the  boy-preacher.  The 
success  with  which  he  met  in  this  field  of  labor  deterred  his  in 
tention  to  enter  college,  but  led  him  to  enter  the  regular  min 
istry,  and  in  September,  1869,  was  admitted  into  the  Illinois 
conference  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  As  a  clergy 
man  he  served  two  years  in  Sangamon  and  Champaign  counties. 
He  then  entered  the  Illinois  Wesleyan  University  to  complete 
his  education,  graduating  in  the  classical  course  June  15,  1875, 
three  years  subsequently  receiving  the  master's  degree.  In  the 
fall  of  1875  he  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Angie  Morri 
son,  daughter  of  Henry  B  and  Caroline  (Sears)  Morrison,  then 
residing  in  Bloomington,  Illinois,  now  in  Coin,  Iowa.  Three 
children  now  comprise  the  family.  Mr.  Coultas  has  ever  since 
continued  laboring  in  the  ministry,  occuping  pulpits  at  Pitts- 
field,  Quincy,  Hillsboro,  and  Clinton,  in  Illinois.  He  was  also 


32  Winning  Orations. 

pastor  of  the  First  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  Decatur,  Illi 
nois,  for  three  years,  and  there  was  general  regret  when  by 
limitation  of  church  law  his  pastorate  ceased.  Thence  he  was 
sent  to  the  Kimber  Church,  Danville,  Illinois,  and  was  just 
entering  upon  his  third  year  as  pastor  of  this  church  when  he 
received  an  invitation  from  the  First  Church,  St.  Paul,  Minne 
sota,  to  become  their  pastor.  The  presiding  bishop  made  the 
appointment.  But  in  a  short  period  of  time,  finding  the  work 
was  not  congenial  to  him,  and  the  effect  of  the  severe  winters 
on  the  health  of  his  family,  he  requested  the  authorities  to 
transfer  him  back  into  the  territory  he  left,  whereupon  he  was 
stationed  at  the  Centenary  Church,  Terre  Haute,  Indiana,  and 
was  received  with  enthusiasm  by  the  congregation.  This  is 
one  of  the  largest  and  most  prosperous  churches  in  Indiana. 
Rev.  Coultas  is  a  preacher  of  great  ability.  As  an  orator  he 
possesses  marked  characteristics.  His  sentences  are  ornate 
and  vigorous;  his  thoughts  are  logical  and  closely  connected, 
thus  making  it  easy  for  his  auditors  to  know  his  meaning,  and 
quickly  to  recognize  that  he  advocates  what  he  believes.  His 
oratory  is  of  the  Wendell  Phillips  style.  He  deals  but  seldom 
in  pathos,  rarely  in  wit,  and  does  not  rise  to  the  dramatic,  but 
is  impassioned  and  earnest.  Rev.  Coultas  is  in  the  prime  of 
manhood,  and  his  physical  strength  and  intellectual  vigor  fore 
tell  many  years  of  influence  and  usefulness.  The  oration  here 
given  was  delivered  when  a  senior  of  the  Illinois  Wesleyan 
University,  at  the  contest  of  1875,  held  in  Indianapolis,  Indiana. 


THE  ORATION. 

Delivered  at  the  Inter-State  Oratorical  Contest,  at  Indianapolis,  Indi 
ana,  May,  1875,  taking  first  prize.  Judges:  Prof.  G.  THAYER,  Rev.  C.  C. 
BURNETT,  U.  D.,  Hon.  EDWAKD  SEARLING,  Gen.  T.  M.  BROWNE. 

The  introduction  of  evil  into  the  world  brought  countless 
woes,  the  dissolution  of  the  human  family  following  in  their 
sad  train.  And  viewing  man  through  the  medium  of  history, 
as  it  unfolds  his  cold  seclusiveness,  and  exhibits  wild,  warring, 
struggling,  surging  humanity  coming  up  the  path  of  ages,  we 
are  prone  to  say,  the  family  relations  will  never  be  restored. 
To  him  who  reads,  but  pauses  not  to  reason;  to  him  who  sees 
humanity  only  as  delineated  on  history's  page,  but  knows 


Culture,  a  Basis  of  Brottierhood.  33 

nothing  of  the  principles  unfolded  by  ethics  and  philosophy, 
how  dark  and  foreboding  the  picture!  Despair  possesses  him 
as  he  reads  the  first  page  of  human  career,  for  in  the  first  family 
is  a  murder,  and  the  first  soul  entering  heaven's  gates  is  driven 
from  earth  by  the  hand  of  violence.  Here  are  seen  whole  em 
pires  torn  and  rent  in  pieces;  whole  armies  mown  down  on  a 
thousand  bloody  fields;  thrones  shaken  to  their  foundations; 
hearts  bleeding  with  sorrow;  even  the  church,  loaded  with 
depravity's  pestilential  vapor,  bearing  the  impress  of  evil; 
popes,  prelates,  and  priests,  led  on  by  the  powers  of  hell, 
grappling  the  secular  sword  until  "the  whole  creation  groaneth 
and  travaileth  in  pain,"  under  the  dominion  of  human  passion. 
Sad  indeed  is  the  picture;  but  we  are  not  without  hope. 
Culture — her  garments  yet  wet  with  the  dew  of  dawning  day, 
her  face  luminous  with  the  hopes  of  triumph,  unveiling  to  our 
astonished  vision  the  measure  of  human  possibility,  on  the 
basis  of  mental  and  moral  attainment  —  proclaims  the  brother 
hood  of  man.  Culture  is  bringing  about  a  fraternity  of  minds. 
Cultured  minds  must  commune  with  each  other,  for  upon  this 
depends  the  march  of  intellect.  Miles  and  oceans  cannot 
separate  them,  neither  can  centuries  divide  them.  Thoughts 
expressed  ages  ago  are  thrilling  the  souls  of  millions  to-day; 
and  although  the  grave  has  long  since  opened  to  receive  the 
speaker,  he  still  lives,  as  human  hearts  beat  in  sympathy  with 
his  utterances,  and  human  lips  reiterate  them  again  and  again. 
In  fighting  the  fierce  battle  of  life,  in  walking  up  the  same 
pathway,  in  entering  into  similar  investigations,  a  harmony  of 
sentiments,  and  identity  of  interests,  have  united  the  votaries  of 
intellect  in  a  brotherhood  as  sacred  and  consummate  as  the 
union  of  angels.  Aristotle,  in  his  scientific  researches,  investi 
gated  the  wonders  of  animal  life,  unfolded  many  mysterious 
phenomena,  gave  us  more  enlarged  ideas  of  man's  relations  to 
nature,  more  exalted  conceptions  of  the  plans  of  creation. 
All  this,  too,  did  Agassiz.  Hence,  through  the  medium  of 
science  these  two  men  communed  with  each  other,  and  across 
the  chasms  of  centuries  clasped  the  hand  of  brotherhood. 
Shakespeare,  Milton,  and  Bryant  walked  up  the  same  pathway, 
hand  in  hand  with  Virgil,  Homer,  and  Isaiah;  and,  feeling  the 
inspiration  of  the  ancient  muse,  they  soared  to  loftier  themes. 
Blackstone  and  Kent  breathed  the  spirit  of  liberty  from  the 


34  Winning  Orations. 

free  hills  of  Greece;  gathered  greatness  from  the  studied 
justice  of  Cicero  and  Justinian;  received  mightier  animation 
from  the  inspired  law  of  Moses,  thus  linking  them  together  in 
sacred  fraternity.  The  glorious  hymn  of  victory  which  Moses 
sang  and  Miriam  echoed  back  on  the  shores  of  the  Red  sea; 
the  strains  of  Jeremiah,  tear-steeped  in  the  prophet's  own 
sorrow;  the  heart-burst  of  grief  from  the  trembling  strings  of 
David's  harp;  the  rich  melodies  breaking  forth  from  the  lips 
of  a  Handel  or  Mozart,  blending  with  a  thousand  voices  from 
moorland  and  mountain  sides,  proclaim  the  brotherhood  of 
song,  and  with  mightier  expression  declare  that  impulses, 
wants,  and  woes  of  humanity  are  as  the  impulses,  wants,  and 
woes  of  one  man.  As  culture  advances,  secrets  unfolded  from 
nature,  powers  delved  from  the  earth,  wisdom  drawn  from  the 
skies,  conspire  to  break  down  barriers  of  prejudice  and  unite 
mankind  in  enduring  fraternity.  The  philosopher  who  reads 
in  nature  the  hand-writing  of  Deity;  the  metaphysician  who 
reduces  chaotic  thought  to  principles;  the  poet  whose  harp  is 
the  universe,  and  who  plays  on  the  strings  of  a  million  hearts; 
the  artist  who  visits  the  spirit  land  and  brings  down  to  our 
grosser  sense  its  archetypes  of  ideal  beauty,  sit  together  as  one 
family,  joined  in  one  unity  of  purpose  to  elevate  the  race,  and 
together  are  throwing  open  the  portals  of  learning  for  the  on 
coming  nations. 

1  Science  and  religion,  too,  join  hands  standing  upon  a  com 
mon  level,  not  contradictory,  but  vindicative,  one  of  the  other; 
not  by  lowering  religion  to  man's  former  misconception  of 
science,  but  by  lifting  our  conception  of  science  to  the  plane 
of  spiritual  and  divine  truth.  The  final  religion  and  the  final 
science  will  own  brotherhood.  While  religion  will  stand  forth 
better  understood,  shining  out  in  clearer  lines,  science  will  be 
heard  saying,  "The  earth  is  the  Lord's  and  the  fullness  thereof." 
Culture  is  uniting  the  nations,  demolishing  those  barriers  which 
ignorance  and  prejudice  have  reared;  spurning  that  narrow- 
minded  patriotism  which  confines  its  regards  to  a  peculiar 
nation,  with  impartial  benevolence  culture  embraces  every 
man  as  kinsman  and  brother.  However  much  the  nations  may 
have  been  at  war  with  each  other  in  the  past,  the  signs  of  the 
times  certainly  indicate  the  near  approach  of  that  era  when  it 
will  be  recognized  that  "God  hath  made  of  one  blood  all  nations 


Culture,  a  Basis  of  Brotherhood.  35 

of  men."  Profound  and  metaphysical  Germany,  artistic  and 
imaginative  France,  practical  and  energetic  America,  bluff  and 
sturdy  old  England,  though  distinct  in  customs  and  peculiar 
ities  are  not  divergent  in  thought  and  purpose.  God  is  letting 
loose  an  army  of  thinkers  in  the  world,  and  they 'arc  bringing 
the  nations  together.  Science,  commerce,  religion,  new  facil 
ities  of  intercourse,  electricity  converting  the  world  into  a 
whispering  gallery,  the  abolition  of  slavery,  the  spirit  of  liberty 
bursting  forth  in  both  hemispheres,  new  friendships,  new  inter 
ests,  are  overcoming  the  old  antipathy  of  nations,  silently 
spreading  the  sentiment  of  human  brotherhood,  and  the  con 
viction  that  the  welfare  of  each  is  the  happiness  of  all.  We 
as  Americans  are  proud  of  our  country.  Justly  so;  we  are  the 
model  government  of  earth.  But  a  nation  is  not  made  in  a  day. 
We  are  more  than  one  hundred  years  old.  This  model  govern 
ment  is  but  the  expansion  and  outgrowth  of  the  past.  One  truth 
after  another,  slowly  rising  from  the  bosom  of  bygone  centuries, 
has  contributed  to  make  for  us  this  precious  heritage.  We  have 
come  up  the  pathway  of  generations,  through  toil  and  vicissi 
tude,  through  the  smoke  of  battle  and  the  rage  of  passion,  by 
the  way  of  free  Athens  and  free  Rome  and  sacred  Palestine. 
Noble  men  led  us  ages  ago,  who  never  breathed  the  free  air  of 
America  or  planted  foot  on  our  sacred  soil.  In  view  of  this, 
we  hail  Asia  as  our  birth-place;  we  grasp  with  firmer  friendship 
the  electric  hand  of  Europe,  beneath  the  foaming  Atlantic, 
and  forever  severing  the  shackles  of  slavery,  we  open  wide  the 
doors  for  the  admission  of  Africa  into  our  sacred  brotherhood. 
Culture  is  moral,  and  in  the  effulgence  of  its  light  the  unity  of 
Christianity  is  being  recognized,  and  the  churches  are  converg 
ing.  It  is  here  culture  attains  its  highest  dignity  and  its  truest 
worth.  The  first  and  grand  condition  of  true  culture  is  an  un 
selfish  love  of  truth,  which  is  the  very  soul  of  Christian  virtue. 
Culture  inspires  love  and  faith,  and  these,  centering  in  a  com 
mon  Lord,  bind  together  the  Christian  world.  It  reveals  a 
divine  cause,  and  leads  to  a  recognition  of  common  origin. 
It  opens  the  word  of  life,  and  brings  the  church  to  a  common 
tribunal.  Denominational  distinction  may  exist  as  long  as 
time,  but  sectarian  prejudice  is  already  becoming  a  thing  of 
the  past,  and  fraternal  hands  are  being  clasped  across  the 
crumbling  walls  of  partition.  The  meeting  of  the  Evangelical 


36  Winning  Orations. 

Alliance  in  Brooklyn  was  the  meeting  of  Christianity.  Those 
men  with  cultured  minds  and  cultured  hearts  were  her  worthy 
representatives;  and  as  they  came  from  Belgium  and  Greece, 
from  Britain  and  France,  it  was  no  more  our  noble  delegates 
who  took  them  by  the  hand,  and  said  to  them,  "Welcome," 
than  it  was  Luther  and  Latimer,  and  Calvin  and  Wesley,  who 
lived  and  worked  together  upon  our  free  soil,  through  the  rich 
results  of  their  prayers  and  faith,  as  exhibited  in  a  free  religion, 
a  free  church,  and  a  free  nation.  Above  the  platform  in  the 
Alliance  hall  was  written  Christianity's  expressive  motto: 
"Unum  corpus  snmus  in  Christo,"  while  in  every  heart  was  felt, 
we  are  met  — 

"  Where  names  and  sects  and  parties  fall, 
And  Jesus  Christ  is  all  in  all." 

Three  of  these  noble  men  are  gone.  Two,  from  the  decks 
of  the  Ville  du  Havre,  sank  beneath  Atlantic's  foaming  billows, 
but  "their  works  do  follow  them."  Under  the  influence  set  in 
motion  at  that  Alliance,  the  clash  of  religious  sentiment  is 
ceasing,  Christians  are  uniting  against  a  common  foe,  and  the 
churches  are  converging.  Love  is  mightier  than  logic,  and  as 
Christian  hearts  are  being  deluged  with  love  they  are  becom 
ing  one,  as  "the  Father  and  Son  are  one."  Those  of  the  min 
istry,  too,  with  cultured  minds  and  cultured  hearts,  are  soaring 
above  the  narrow  creed  and  catechism,  and,  as  with  the  voice 
of  one  man,  are  crying  out  to  humanity,  "Behold,  behold  the 
Lamb!"  From  the  banks  of  the  Ganges;  "from  Greenland's 
icy  mountains  and  India's  coral  strands;"  from  the  shores  of 
the  Pacific,  and  where  flow  the  waters  of  the  Nile;  from  Alpine 
heights,  and  New  England's  palatial  residences,  comes  the 
legitimate  response,  "I  see,  I  see  the  star!"  And  over  every 
barrier  they  are  coining  —  they  are  coming  to  clasp  hands 
around  the  cross  of  one  common  Redeemer,  until  soon  in 
Heaven's  courts  will  be  heard  the  glad  announcement,  "The 
morning  dawneth!"  O  Culture,  noble  is  thy  work!  thy  dignity 
is  the  brightest  manifestation  of  divinity;  yea,  the  symbol  of 
God's  infinity,  for  no  limit  can  be  set  to  thy  unfolding.  Human 
ity,  as  a  unit,  comes  and  bows  at  thy  tribunal,  acknowledging 
the  sway  of  thy  scepter,  and  marshaled  under  thy  banner 
marches  forward  to  conquer  death  and  hell,  and  with  thee  to 
scale  the  battlements  of  glory. 


THE  TWO   RACES   IN   IRELAND. 


By  THOMAS  W.  GRAYDON,  of  Iowa  State  University. 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 

Thomas  W.  Graydon  is  a  native  of  Ireland.  Naturally  he 
was  very  scholastic,  but  through  the  advice  of  the  eminent 
oculist,  Sir  William  Wilde,  of  Dublin,  Ireland,  at  the  age  of 
fifteen  he  was  compelled  to  relinquish  his  studies  and  love  of 
books  to  rescue  his  eyesight,  which  had  become  much  impaired 
from  excessive  usage.  This  affliction  has  ever  been  one  of  the 
difficulties  he  has  had  to  struggle  with.  At  eighteen  years  of 
age  he  came  to  America,  and  settled  on  a  farm  in  Illinois. 
Recovering  sufficiently  he  entered  Griswold  College,  Daven 
port,  Iowa,  in  1871,  where  he  graduated.  In  1872  he  entered 
the  Iowa  State  University,  graduating  there  in  1875.  ^  was 
while  a  student  of  this  university  he  was  the  representative  to 
the  inter-State  oratorical  contest,  and  where  he  was  admired 
in  the  many  points  of  eloquence  and  oratory.  The  following 
year  he  located  in  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  where  he  began  the 
practice  of  medicine.  In  1885  he  represented  Hamilton  County 
in  the  Legislature,  declining  the  renomination  in  1887.  In  1888 
he  was  appointed  by  Governor  Foraker  on  the  old  board  of 
public  affairs,  where  he  served  until  the  board  was  abolished, 
in  the  spring  of  1890.  By  a  special  session  of  the  Ohio  Legis 
lature,  in  October,  1890,  the  mayor  was  given  the  appointing 
of  a  board  of  city  affairs.  Dr.  Graydon  was  again  assigned  to 
that  position.  He  is  very  active  in  political  affairs,  and  quite 
influential  in  the  municipal  government  of  Cincinnati.  Dr. 
Graydon  has  a  large  and  lucrative  medical  practice,  and  is  a 
man  of  excellent  qualities.  The  following  oration,  delivered 
by  him  May  13,  1875,  shows  his  original  talent,  and  presents  one 
of  the  most  favorable  specimens  of  college  orations. 

(37) 


38  Winning  Orations. 


THE  ORATION. 

Delivered  at  the  Inter-State  Oratorical  Contest,  at  Indianapolis,  Indi 
ana,  May,  1875,  taking  second  prize.  Judges:  Prof.  G.  THAYER,  Rev.  C.  C. 
BURNETT,  D.  D.,  Hon.  EDWARD  SEARLING,  Gen.  T.  M.  BROWNE. 

Our  attention  was  lately  called  to  Ireland  by  the  Froude-and- 
Burke  discussion.  Probably  few  think  Mr.  Froude  has  justified 
the  English  invasion  of  Ireland.  But  who  has  justified  the 
Roman  invasion  of  Britain,  the  Saxon,  the  Danish,  the  Norman; 
or  the  extermination  of  the  Indians  on  this  continent?  His 
tory  presents  us  terrible  scenes  —  countries  overrun,  peoples 
enslaved,  oppressions,  annihilations.  We  cannot  justify  the 
inflicted  wrongs,  we  do  approve  the  results.  The  English  his 
torian  and  the  Catholic  priest  judge  history  by  different  stand 
ards.  The  one,  Carlyle's  worthy  disciple,  comes  saying:  "The 
two  civilizations  conflicted- — the  stronger  and  higher — and  the 
stronger,  because  the  higher,  prevailed."  His  opponent,  the 
Dominican  monk,  tells  us  of  penal  laws  and  violated  treaties, 
a  proscribed  priesthood  and  a  degraded  people,  the  peasant 
murdered  in  his  burning  cottage  and  the  wail  of  his  children  in 
the  midnight  air,  and  asks  our  judgment.  The  standard  by 
which  Mr.  Froude  judges  history  is  the  Fatalist's,  the  Utilita 
rian's,  and  that  of  Mother  Nature,  who  is  always  rejoiced  to 
have  the  strong  race  crush  out  the  weak.  Father  Burke's 
standard  is  more  in  harmony  with  the  common  notions  of 
justice.  The  Englishman's  defense  of  his  country  is  a  defense 
of  the  laws  of  progress;  of  the  times,  not  past,  when  "might 
makes  right."  The  priest's  complaint  is  an  indictment  of 
"Specific  Gravity,"  "The  Persistence  of  Force,"  "The  Survival 
of  the  Fittest;"  England's  justification  —  the  right  of  the  tiger 
to  his  evening  meal;  Ireland's  plea  —  the  claim  of  the  poor 
victim  to  its  life.  When  we  shall  have  reconciled  Fate  and 
Free-will,  and  settled  the  respective  rights  of  the  wild  beast 
and  his  prey,  we  shall  have  satisfactorily  judged  the  English 
conquest  and  occupation  of  Ireland. 

There  are  three  periods  of  Ireland's  history  of  peculiar  in 
terest  to  the  student  of  political  or  social  science.  The  first  is 
that  of  Henry  VIII.  and  Elizabeth,  when  the  English  colonists 
in  Ireland  adopted  the  Reformed  faith,  thus  infusing  a  new 
element  of  discord,  and  making  what  was  a  war  of  races  also 


The  Tu'o  Races  in  Ireland.  39 

a  war  of  religions.  The  second  period  is  the  last  quarter  of 
the  eighteenth  century,  when  the  Irish  Parliament  enjoyed  a 
nominal  independence.  The  third  is  the  present,  marked  by 
Air.  Gladstone's  Ballot  Act.  Briefly  to  consider  these  three 
periods  is  our  task.  When  the  Northern  nations  of  Europe 
embraced  Protestantism,  hatred  of  her  oppressors  helped  keep 
Ireland  true  to  the  church  of  the  Middle  Ages.  Besides, 
Catholicism,  appealing  to  our  emotional  nature,  and  cherishing 
an  ideal  of  glowing  faith,  was  intrinsically  congenial  to  the 
Irish  character.  Only  strong  peoples  assimilate  strong  creeds. 
The  relentless  logic  of  Calvin  was  for  the  Scotch,  not  the  Irish 
race.  The  explanation,  then,  of  Ireland's  present  state  lies  in 
the  fact,  that  since  the  Reformation  the  colonists  and  the  native 
Irish  have  been  as  clearly  divided  in  religion  as  in  race. 

In  the  eighteenth  century  we  find  the  original  inhabitants 
deprived  of  their  ancestral  holdings,  excluded  from  every 
office  and  voice  in  the  government,  disarmed,  persecuted  and 
outlawed,  their  religion  proscribed,  and  their  priests  under  ban, 
subject  to  the  most  odious  penal  laws,  without  the  means,  and 
almost  without  the  will,  to  better  themselves.  On  the  other 
hand,  the  Protestant  colonists,  the  ruling  class,  had  been  alter 
nately  caressed  and  taxed  by  England,  as  her  fears  or  her 
avarice  dictated.  They  were  literally  the  "Irish  garrison." 
They  governed  the  country,  and  were  themselves  governed 
for  England's  aggrandizement.  When,  by  their  enterprise,  any 
export  or  manufacture  threatened  England's  interest,  it  was 
immediately  suppressed.  Their  commerce  with  the  American 
colonies  had  been  prohibited,  the  exportation  of  cattle  for 
bidden,  and  when  they  turned  to  the  manufacture  of  woolen 
goods  the  trade  in  wool  was  completely  annihilated.  But  these 
descendants  of  Cavalier,  Roundhead,  and  Williamite  —  these 
colonists  with  their  old  Anglo-Saxon  obstinacy  —  were  not  the 
men  to  endure  such  treatment.  They  had  been  trained  in  a 
severe  school,  one  fitted  to  develop  the  virtues,  as  the  vices,  of 
a  superior  people.  Justly,  or  unjustly,  their  fathers  had  won 
the  land  by  the  sword,  and  they  had  been  compelled  to  hold  it 
by  the  same  means.  Surrounded  by  numbers  who  were  uni 
formly  their  enemies,  and  whom  they  considered  their  inferiors, 
they  had  maintained  their  position  by  superior  intelligence, 
vigilance,  and  courage.  No  doubt  they  were  arbitrary  and 


40  Whining  Orations. 

somewhat  despotic,  yet  generous,  proud,  and  self-reliant.  Such 
men  the  Irish  Parliament  of  the  eighteenth  century  represented, 
so  far  as  it  represented  anything  outside  the  British  cabinet. 
In  1779-82  these  men  demanded  the  independence  of  their 
Parliament,  and  England,  weakened  by  her  American  and 
European  wars,  graciously  granted  to  100,000  armed  volunteers 
what  she  had  ever  denied  to  the  claims  of  justice.  Yes,  Eng 
land,  in  her  weakness,  granted  the  boon  of  independent  legis 
lation,  to  snatch  it  again  by  the  so-called  union  of  iSoo  — 
a  union  conceived  in  the  fine  brain  of  that  prince  of  moral 
prime  ministers,  William  Pitt,  warmed  to  life  by  the  fanatical 
Tory  reaction  that  followed  the  French  Revolution,  and 
ushered  into  the  world  by  shameless  intrigue  and  statecraft, 
by  bravado  and  threats,  by  offers  of  safety  to  the  Irish  Prot 
estant  Church,  and  subtle  promises  of  Catholic  emancipation 
—  promises  which  the  subsequent  action  of  king  and  ministers 
compels  us  to  believe  were  never  meant  to  be  fulfilled. 

In  the  past,  the  union  of  politics  and  religion  has  been  the 
curse  of  Ireland.  Mr.  Gladstone,  by  the  Ballot  Act  and  the 
disestablishment  of  the  Irish  Church,  did  much  to  seculari/.c 
Irish  politics.  By  the  ballot  Act  he  rescued  the  voter  from 
the  power  of  both  landlord  and  priest;  by  the  disestablishment 
of  the  Irish  Church  he  estranged  England's  warmest  supporters, 
the  ultra-Episcopalians,  and  united  the  liberal  Protestants  with 
the  Catholics  in  the  Home  Rule  party.  The  motto  of  the 
Home  Rulers  is  "  Home  legislation  in  internal  affairs."  They 
claim  an  independence  similar  to  that  enjoyed  by  each  State 
of  the  American  Union.  They  have  learned  from  the  past. 
They  remember  that  once  the  great  heart  of  England  was 
moved  to  pity  Ireland,  when,  in  1782,  she  granted  a  nominally 
independent  Parliament  to  the  demands  of  an  armed  people; 
they  remember,  too,  another  occasion,  when  the  British  prime 
minister,  the  victor  of  Waterloo,  presented  the  Catholic  eman 
cipation  bill  to  George  IV.,  and  said:  "Your  Majesty,  it  is  forced 
on  you  and  me;  you  must  sign  the  paper,  or  prepare  for  civil 
war  and  rebellion  in  Ireland."  With  these  records  the  Home 
Rulers  know  what  to  expect  from  England's  generosity. 

Prejudices  of  Saxon  descent  may  unfit  me  for  judging,  yet, 
from  an  intimate  knowledge  of  the  Celtic  character,  I  must  say 
that  Ireland  is  not  now  fitted  for  self-government;  that  she  will 


The  Tivo  Races  in  Ireland.  4 1 

be  fitted  for  it  when  public  opinion  makes  it  possible,  I  hope 
and  believe.  When  that  day  of  her  independence  comes,  it 
will  have  come,  not  through  the  sword,  but  through  the  voice 
and  the  pen,  through  the  burial  of  old  jealousies  and  discords 
of  home,  and  the  ultimate  aid  of  English  republicanism.  Re 
lying  on  these  means  alone  the  reformers  are  hopefully  labor 
ing  on  —  laboring  for  the  time  when  religion  shall  no  longer  be 
a  factor  in  politics;  when  the  two  races  shall  be  assimilated  by 
common  interests;  when  with  the  rash  enthusiasm  of  the  Celt, 
tempered  by  the  steadiness  of  the  more  self-restrained  Saxon, 
the  whole  Irish  people  shall  be  a  united,  independent  people  — 
a  people  with  a  secular  political  life.  Visions  of  bygone  times 
cheer  them  in  the  noble  struggle,  as  among  the  dying  echoes 
of  the  past  century  they  hear  the  halls  of  the  old  Parliament 
house  ringing  with  the  voices  of  the  patriot  leaders,  with  the 
voices  of  the  heroic  Flood  and  the  high-minded  Grattan  —  men 
whose  spotless  integrity  was  as  well  recognized  by  French  and 
English  contemporaries  as  by  their  own  countrymen  —  men, 
the  halo  of  whose  genius  sheds  an  immortal  radiance  o'er  the 
few  short  years  of  their  country's  independence,  while  even  yet 
their  transcendent  forms  towering  through  the  mists  of  British 
corruption  and  treachery  seem  to  point  ever  upward  to  those 
clear  heights,  where  calm,  grand,  over-arched  and  begirt  with 
the  eternal  sunlight  sit  the  pure  goddesses  of  their  adoration  — 
Patriotism,  Justice,  Truth. 


THE  WORLD'S  CONQUERORS. 


By  CHARLES  T.  NOLAND,  of  Central  College. 


Delivered  at  the  Inter-State  Oratorical  Contest,  at  Chicago,  Illinois, 
May,  1876,  taking  first  prize.  Judges:  Hon.  THOS.  A.  HENDRICKS,  Messrs. 
J.  O.  BRODHEAD,  W.  F.  POSLE. 

The  leading  characteristic  of  our  times  is  a  strong  tendency 
to  expansion  and  universality.  We  have  turned  from  the  nar 
rowness  and  restrictions  of  the  past;  and  instead  of  idolizing 
successful  individuals,  we  praise  the  motives  which  actuated 
them,  and  crown  as  conquerors  the  principles  which  they  have 
worked  out  to  a  successful  result.  The  age  of  hero-worship  is 
past,  and  we  regard  men  merely  as  the  creatures  of  circum 
stances;  and,  with  Cicero,  are  ready,  not  to  praise  Regulus  for 
his  self-sacrifice,  but  to  ascribe  all  credit  to  his  times. 

We  admire  Newton,  who  proclaimed  and  expounded  the 
laws  of  gravitation;  but  we  immediately  account  for  his  success 
by  saying  that  preceding  events  and  circumstances  pointed 
directly  to  this  conclusion;  that,  as  the  lofty  mountain-peak 
first  receives  the  beams  of  the  morning  sun,  which  after  a  time 
bathes  even  the  deepest  valleys  with  its  life-giving  light,  so 
Newton,  by  his  superior  intellectual  height,  first  caught  the 
rays  of  that  mighty  scientific  principle,  whose  light  was  sure 
soon  to  burst  upon  the  minds  of  all.  The  discovery  was  bound 
to  be  made  by  some  one,  and  Newton  was  that  lucky  one. 
Men  live  by  believing  something;  and  when  we  quit  our  belief 
in  heroes,  we  but  transfer  it  to  those  truths  and  principles  in 
whose  behalf  the  laboring  and  fighting,  the  dying  and  triumph 
ing  made  these  heroes  what  they  were.  The  world's  conquerors 
which  we  now  worship  are  Science,  Invention,  and  Religion. 

When,  in  olden  times,  the  Capuchin  friar  was  about  to  speak 
to  the  multitude  concerning  the  life  of  some  saint,  he  held 
before  the  gaze  of  his  hearers  some  relic  of  him  —  a  lock  of  his 
hair,  a  shred  of  his  garment,  a  drop  of  his  blood.  I  have  no 

(42) 


The  World's  Conquerors.  43 

sympathetic  souvenirs  to  present  to  you,  but  can  only  show 
you  a  few  trophies  of  victory. 

Science  —  how  eventful  is  its  history!     How  noble  are  its 
achievements!     How  comprehensive  are  its  truths. 

The  founding  of  the  Alexandrian  Museum,  at  Alexandria 
in  old  Egypt,  was  the  real  birth  of  Science.  From  this  humble 
origin,  in  a  now  darkened  and  depressed  land,  arose  a  power 
which  has  conquered  time,  annihilated  space,  given  new  beliefs 
for  the  present,  new  hopes  for  the  future.  Men  have  delved 
into  the  deep  mysteries  which  shroud  the  past,  and  have  dis 
proved  the  old  theory  that  the  world  was  created  just  six 
thousand  years  ago  —  have  found  the  site  of  ancient  Troy,  and 
once  more  allow  mortal  eyes  to  view  the  beauties  of  the  palace 
of  Priam.  With  rough  and  unfeeling  hands  they  have  de 
stroyed  the  mighty  legends  of  Rome's  early  days,  torn  to  shreds 
the  Spanish  fictions  concerning  the  new  world,  and  tell  the  as 
tonished  people  that  Prescott's  History  of  the  Conquest  of 
Mexico  is  but  a  petty  story  founded  on  the  cunningly  devised 
statements  of  Spanish  priests  and  chroniclers.  With  wistful 
eyes  they  are  peering  into  the  future,  and  with  tolerable  accu 
racy  are  prognosticating  the  weather.  They  have  discovered 
new  worlds  in  the  realms  of  space,  and  explained  the  laws 
which  cause  them  to  move  in  their  silent  and  awful  grandeur. 
They  are  driving  dogmatism  and  intolerance  from  our  midst, 
and  recognize  the  existence  of  fanaticism  in  only  one  form  — 
an  enthusiastic  search  after  the  truth.  Science  has  increased 
the  longevity  of  our  race.  What,  I  am  asked,  live  longer  in 
this  fast  age  than  our  sedate  forefathers  did  in  their  quiet  days 
of  the  past.  Yes;  the  fastness  of  the  age,  deleterious  as  it  may 
be,  is  more  than  counterbalanced  by  scientific  discoveries  in 
medicine  and  hygiene.  Since  the  time  of  the  Reformation,  as 
is  proven  by  statistics,  the  average  length  of  human  life  has 
been  nearly  doubled.  Such  are  a  few  of  the  victories  of 
science;  yet,  how  incomplete  is  the  record!  I  have  said 
nothing  of  the  science  of  navigation  and  the  discovery  of  a  new 
continent;  nothing  of  the  advancement  in  the  science  of  gov 
ernment  and  political  economy,  which  has  culminated  in  the 
grandest  and  best  of  governmental  systems  —  the  one  under 
which  we  live;  nothing  of  the  great  discoveries  in  chemistry, 
magnetism,  and  electricity;  nothing  of  the  laws  of  acoustics, 


44  Winning  Orations. 

and  the  great  advantages  arising  from  ventilation.  In  short, 
nearly  everything  bears  the  imprint  of  science.  Nothing  is  so 
small  as  to  escape  its  notice;  nothing  too  great  for  it  to  under 
take.  Unfettered  and  free,  as  it  now  is,  it  will  continue  to 
bestow  its  blessings  on  humanity,  and  the  bloodless  victories 
already  accomplished  will  shine  with  a  cumulative  radiance 
when  the  present,  "like  streaks  of  a  morning  cloud,  shall  have 
melted  into  the  infinite  azure  of  the  past." 

Perhaps,  of  all  the  world's  conquerors,  none  possesses  so 
many  trophies  of  victory  as  Invention.  The  art  of  writing  is 
the  most  miraculous  of  all  the  inventions  which  the  cunnincr 

c"» 

brain  of  man  has  yet  devised.  The  soul  of  the  whole  past  lies 
in  books,  and  it  may  with  truth  be  said  that  the  writers  of 
books  are  "the  dead  but  sceptered  sovereigns,  who  still  rule 
our  spirits  from  their  urns."  In  former  times  learning  was  only 
obtained  by  traveling  over  the  then  known  world;  now  you 
need  but  go  to  the  nearest  college.  Truly  the  greatest  univer 
sity  of  modern  times  is  a  well-selected  collection  of  books. 
Printing  is  but  a  mere  form  of  writing,  and  from  this  invention 
newspapers  are  a  necessary  consequence.  Who  can  estimate 
the  power  of  the  press?  When  the  sands  of  the  ocean  are 
numbered,  when  space  is  measured,  and  the  limits  of  eternity 
are  defined,  then  may  we  attempt  to  compute  the  power  of 
this  mighty  engine  of  civilization,  this  one  achievement  of  the 
noble  conqueror.  Formerly  parliaments  and  congresses  de 
cided  what  the  people  should  do;  but  now,  through  the  agency 
of  the  press,  the  people  decide  what  parliaments  and  congresses 
shall  do.  This  fact  presents  to  us  another  great  truth  in  regard 
to  this  mighty  invention,  i.  e.,  printing  necessarily  makes 
democracy.  It  is  inevitable.  History  shows  this.  What  is 
the  tendency  of  the  whole  of  Europe?  The  decay  of  monarch- 
ism.  The  people  gradually  are  demanding  liberty,  equality, 
and  justice,  and  sooner  or  later  the  demand  will  be  met.  I 
need  not  relate  more  of  the  many  conquests  of  invention;  the 
world  knows  them,  for  they  exist  all  around  us  in  such  abun 
dance  that  this  has  been  very  properly  styled  the  age  of 
mechanical  invention.  We  use  these  inventions  without  know 
ing  or  caring  for  the  originators  of  them.  We  care  not  whether 
Oersted  invented  the  telegraph,  and  Morse  gained  the  credit 
for  it;  we  care  not  whether  John  Fitch  first  constructed  a 


The  World's  Conquerors.  45 

steamboat,  and  Robert  Fulton  acquired  the  fame  —  we  have 
the  result.  The  thousands  of  inventive  geniuses  who  now  sleep 
in  secluded  and  unhonored  graves,  with  their  pallid  faces 
turned  toward  the  tips  of  daisies,  and  no  epitaphs  to  mark  their 
last  resting-places,  all  bear  witness  to  the  great  fact  that  the 
the  world  now  worships  principles  and  not  men. 

It  is  difficult  to  tell  what  religion  has  done  for  the  world, 
because  there  has  been  no  period  when  a  religion  of  some 
kind  has  not  existed.  Every  religion  that  has  had  any  influ 
ence  or  met  with  any  favor  from  the  people,  has  had  some 
truth  in  it,  and  that  truth,  small  though  it  sometimes  was,  has 
always  exerted  a  beneficial  influence.  But  the  principal  form 
to  which  I  wish  to  direct  your  attention  is  what  is  known  as 
the  Christian  religion.  The  church  has  agitated  all  the  prob 
lems  of  great  interest  to  man  —  philosophical,  historical,  and 
political;  hence  has  had  great  influence  upon  modern  civili/a- 
tion.  And  the  fact  is  evident  that  the  moral  and  intellectual 
progress  of  Europe  has  been  essentially  theological.  Religion 
being  a  friend  to  civil  liberty,  has  supplied  its  place  where  that 
boon  has  been  wanting.  Legislative  science  owes  its  all  to 
religion. 

The  first  code  of  laws  known  to  the  world  was  the  Mosaic. 
Since  that  time  all  branches  of  law,  commercial,  international, 
and  civil,  have  been  greatly  modified  and  improved;  but  the 
fundamental  principle  —  the  great  outlines  of  legislative  science 
—  are  found  in  the  civil  polity  of  the  Jews.  Milman,  one  of 
the  greatest  historians,  has  well  said  in  this  connection,  that 
"the  Hebrew  law-giver  has  exercised  a  more  extensive  and 
permanent  influence  over  the  destinies  of  mankind  than  any 
other  individual  in  the  annals  of  the  world."  Shall  I  speak  of 
the  ennobling  spirit  of  Christianity,  of  the  influences  of  its 
moral  teachings,  of  its  consolation  to  those  in  distress,  of  its 
admonitions  to  those  in  prosperity?  Religion  is  to  society 
what  the  sun  is  to  the  world.  Once  let  that  bright  luminary 
be  quenched  and  we  could  not  by  any  artificial  light  or  heat 
illuminate  or  fertilize  the  earth. 

Let  us  now  look  at  the  relation  existing  between  the  con 
querors,  science  and  religion.  Of  late  we  hear  much  about  the 
"inevitable  conflict,"  "the  conflict  of  the  ages,"  "the  warfare 
between  science  and  religion."  If  there  is  an  antagonism  be- 


46  Winning  Orations. 

tvveen  them,  we  must  choose  sides,  for  in  so  important  a 
struggle,  one  which  so  nearly  concerns  us,  we  cannot  be  neutral 
lookers-on.  We  cannot  hug  the  quiet  of  the  swamp  —  we  must 
seek  the  current  which  will  either  bear  us  to  the  dreaded  cata 
ract  or  glide  us  into  the  peaceful  harbor. 

But  these  expressions  are  misnomers,  or  rather  they  arc 
names  for  a  thing  that  does  not  exist.  How  can  there  be  a 
variance  between  two  truths?  The  whole  trouble  is  this:  Some 
scientists  have  mistaken  what  religion  is,  and  some  religionists 
have  mistaken  what  science  is.  There  is  a  conflict,  a  strife  be 
tween  bigoted  religionists  and  over-zealous  scientists;  but  true 
religion  and  true  science  have  nothing  to  do  with  it. 

Religion  is  not  your  or  my  interpretation  of  certain  passages 
in  the  Bible,  for  these  interpretations  may  be  wrong,  as  has  been 
the  case  with  a  thousand  others.  What  you  or  I  may  assert  as 
a  principle  of  science  is  not  to  be  so  received  until  it  has  been 
demonstrated  beyond  cavil  by  scientific  men.  So  long  as  there 
is  a  dispute  between  scientists  concerning  a  thing,  it  may  or 
may  not  be  a  principle  of  science.  You  cannot  build  up  a 
science  from  the  Bible,  and  just  as  surely  you  cannot  destroy 
one,  for  there  is  nothing  there  with  which  either  to  build  or 
destroy.  It  is  not  a  scientific  book.  Would  that  this  discrim 
ination  had  been  made  hundreds  of  years  ago — the  shrieks  of 
many  a  martyr  would  never  have  been  heard,  much  of  the 
noble  blood  which  has  bathed  our  world  would  never  have 
been  shed,  and  thousands  of  illustrious  names  would  shine  in 
the  bright  galaxy  of  history  which  now  are  unknown  and  their 
fame  unsung. 

In  conclusion  let  me  say,  that  entering  as  we  are  now  upon 
the  Centennial  Celebration  of  American  Independence,  while 
we  sing  loudly  our  paeons  for  the  victories  of  arms  which  gave 
us  our  freedom,  let  us  not  forget  the  many  conquests  of  peace 
which  have  given  us  our  culture,  our  progress,  our  stability  as 
a  nation.  Let  science,  invention,  and  religion  spread  their 
trophies,  gathered  from  every  part  of  this  country,  before  the 
assembled  nations.  Let  us  harmonize  all  sectional  differences 
and  disputes,  forget  the  dark  cloud  of  fratricidal  war  which 
once  hung  loweringly  o'er  our  fair  land,  and  strike  hands 
around  our  country's  common  altar  of  thanksgiving.  Our 
nation  can  purge  itself  from  its  weaknesses,  its  follies,  and  its 


'Jlie  World's  Conquerors.  47 

corruptions;  so  let  it  do,  and  with  renewed  youth  and  vigor 
spring  forward  to  make  the  future  as  the  past,  and  ever  yet 
more  glorious.  Let  the  mighty  conquerors  of  the  first  century 
go  forth  to  yet  grander  triumphs;  let  Science  and  Invention 
subdue  and  subsidize  to  their  purposes  our  forests  and  rivers, 
our  mountains  and  prairies,  and  lakes;  while  Religion,  untram- 
meled  by  civil  laws  or  ecclesiastical  bigotries,  but  bathed  anew 
in  the  sunlight  of  its  own  pure  heaven,  and  baptized  with  the 
spirit  of  the  one  Universal  Father  of  us  all,  sheds  its  purifying 
and  ennobling  radiance  over  hill  and  valley,  over  mansion  and 
cottage — then  shall  each  successive  year  and  age  and  century 
but  mark  the  progress  and  perfect  the  triumphs  so  well  begun. 


BEATRICE   AND   MARGARET. 


By  Miss  I. AURA  A.  KKNT,  of  Antioch  College. 


INTRODUCTORY. 

In  1876  Miss  Laura  A.  Kent  represented  the  State  of  Ohio, 
and  Antioch  College,  Yellow  Springs,  Ohio,  at  the  inter-State 
oratorical  contest,  and  is  the  only  lady  in  the  history  of  the 
Inter-State  Oratorical  Association  who  received  honors.  Not 
to  attain  notoriety  or  even  a  recognition  as  an  aspirant  for 
personal  honors  did  Miss  Kent  enter  the  contest,  but  for  the 
sake  of  her  college,  and  to  her  college  her  womanly  modesty 
ascribes  all  the  glory.  The  Chicago  Tribune,  referring  to  the 
contest,  says:  "Only  one  literary  subject  was  chosen,  and  that, 
the  relation  between  the  first  anil  second  parts  of  Goethe's 
Faust,  by  the  Antioch  representative."  Miss  Kent  married 
Lieut.  H.  S.  Eoster,  who  is  now  serving  a  three  years'  detail  as 
professor  of  military  science  and  tactics  in  the  University  of 
Vermont.  The  portrait  here  represented  was  taken  three  years 
subsequent  to  the  contest. 


THE  ORATION. 

Delivered  at  the  Inter-State  Oratorical  Contest,  at  Chicago,  Illinois, 
May,  1876,  taking  second  prize.  Judges:  Hon.  Tuos.  A.  HEMMUCKS, 
Messrs.  J.  O.  BKODHEAD,  \V.  F.  POSLE. 

No  writer,  since  the  rise  of  the  romantic  schools  of  litera 
ture,  when  lov£__h.ecam_e  one  of  the  chief  themcs~a£_pac.try  and 
story-lore,  have  so  reverently  worshiped  and  so  happily  em 
bodied  the  highest  ideas  of  womanhood  as  Dante  and  Goethe 
—  two  of  the/ra'  poets  whom  every  nation  and  every  age  may 
claim  as  its  own. 

Beatrice  and  Margaret  are,  perhaps,  the  most  exquisite 
delineations  of  womanhood  to  be  found  in  the  literature  of 
the  Christian  centuries;  and  while  so  many  fair  divinjtjes  of 

(48) 

I 
\ 


Beatrice  and  Margaret.  49 

elder  days  are  fading  into  myths,  it  is  most  pleasing  to  find 
that  the  critical  method  which  has  dared  to  lay  irreverent 
hands  upon  the  person  of  Jesus  himself,  concedes,  almost  with 
out  an  exception,  that  these  two  characters  are  real  flesh  and 
blood:  both  are  essential  facts,  while  at  the  same  time  both  are 
types  of  that  intuitive  wisdom  that  leads  the  soul  from  error 
to  atonement  and  final  rest. 

With  the  precocious,  romantic  ardor  of  his  age  and  his 
southern  blood,  Dante,  in  his  boyhood,  singled  out  a  child  of 
eight  years  as  the  "sole  lady  of  his  heart."  Through  the  Vita 
Nuova  we  see  the  poet's  mind  and  lover's  heart  growing 
together  in  beauty  and  power.  It  was  the  image  of  the  gentle 
Beatrice  that  warmed  and  purified  his  soul,  that  inspired  his 
irenius  until  he  became  the  "voice  of  ten  silent  centuries." 

o 

Transfigured  by  years  of  memory  ^and  the  idealizing  light  of 
imagination,  she  became  a  comforting,  holy  spirit,  and  illu 
mined  with  intense  joy  the  poet's  heart,  hitherto  the  saddest, 
perhaps,  save  one,  in  all  Christendom. 

Thus  it  was  that  Dante  — hereafter  to  be  known  to  the  world 
as  the  noblest  of  all  lovers,  when  Dante  the  statesman,  the 
philosopher,  the  Guelphic  leader,  and  the  "Ghibelline  turncoat" 
shall  be  forgotten — VOWED  that,  if  it  would  "please  Him  by 
whom  all  things  live,"  he  would  say  that  of  her  which  had 
never  yet  been  said  of  any  lady."  She  became  his  Muse.  It 
was  a  message  from  her  which  led  him  down  through  the  Gate 
of  Despair;  across  the  Limbo  that  trembled  with  the  sighs  of 
hopeless  longing;  past  horrid  Minos,  Judge  of  Hades;  into  the 
flaming  City  of  Dis,  garrisoned  and  guarded  by  demons  and 
furies;  past  the  "Hell  of  Violence,"  where  murderers  and 
tyrants  are  forever  steeped  in  the  boiling  blood-waves  of 
Phlegethon;  through  the  increasing  horrors  of  Circles  and 
Evil-pits  and  Belts  of  Treachery;  and  then  up  the  toilsome 
steps  of  Purgatory  — until  at  last  appeared,  drawn  in  the  bosom 
of  a  cloud  of  flowers  thrown  by  angel  hands,  her  form  clad  in 
in  white,  green,  and  red  emblems  of  Faith,  Hope,  and  Charity. 

This  sainted  lady  now  became  the  poet's  guide;  more  to 
him  than  the  Madonna  to  the  ancient  worshiping  hermit.  By 
the  subtle  charm  of  spiritual  beauty  which  shone  from  her 
eyes,  she  led  him  upward  through  the  nine  heavenly  circles  to 
the  "Rose  of  the  Blessed"  and  "Lake  of  Light."  Beatrice  is 


50  Winning  Orations. 

science,  says  one;  philosophy,  says  another;  reason,  and  a 
poet's  dream  of  the  Madonna,  say  others.  Granting  that  she 
is  either,  or  all,  of  these,  she  is  yet  more  —  she  stands  for 
spiritual  insight,  divine  wisdom,  and  "love  is  the  keeping  of 
her  law." 

Dante,  more  than  all  others,  has  realized,  not  idealized,  what 
the  highest  womanhood  may  and  should  become  to  all  who 
keep  in  their  hearts  a  sacred  niche  for  its  unspotted  ideal. 
In  turning  to  Margaret,  the  "crown  jewel"  of  all  Goethe's 
womanly  creation,  we  find  a  mere  child,  delighting  in  all  the 
dreams  of  girlish  fancy  and  youthful  affection,  whose  injured 
and  defenseless  innocence  appeals  to  every  heart,  nor  finds  a 
thought  of  censure  or  a  shade  of  reproach.  Miranda's  affection 
is  scarcely  more  frank,  Desdemona's  not  more  self-forgetting, 
nor  are  Cordelia  or  Imogene  more  of  the  spirit  of  " eu'igc 
weibliche."  She  is  at  once  the  ideal  Gretchen  of  Goethe's 
first  love,  and  the  personation  of  Faust's  own  better  nature. 
From  her  entrance  into  the  cathedral  to  the  darkly-draped 
dungeon  scene,  she  holds  all  hearts  to  her  great  spiritual  love 
liness,  her  simple  trust,  and  pure  faith  in  God.  Faust,  prompted 
by  Mephistopheles  —  the  true  devil  of  base  impulse  in  every 
heart  —  appealed  to  Margaret's  vanity  and  curiosity,  the  same 
passion  that  made  the  mother  of  the  race  offend  in  Eden. 
Then,  rejected  and  deserted,  she  tells  her  sorrow  to  her  own 
heart  in  the  deep  love-melancholy  of  the  spin-wheel  song, 
which  forebodes  the  dark  tragedy  of  the  sequel  in  its  refrain: 

"Meine  Ruh'  ist  bin, 
Mein  Herz  ist  schwer — - 
Ich  find's  sie  nimmer, 
Und  nimmermehr." 

Tormented  by  the  guilt  that  belonged  to  others,  she  sought 
refuge  in  the  cathedral,  where  she  used  to  pray  when  a  child; 
but  even  here  an  evil  spirit  mocks  and  terrifies  her.  In  the 
wild  insanity  of  grief,  and  amid  the  gloom  of  a  true  modern 
epic,  we  see  her  at  last  in  the  dungeon,  awaiting  the  stroke 
that  is  to  free  her  spirit  from  its  dark  prison-house.  She  heeds 
not  Faust's  entreaty  to  escape,  for  it  is  not  life  that  she  asks, 
but  the  innocence  and  happiness  of  the  past;  and  since  they 
cannot  be  restored  she  gives  herself  up  to  the  judgment  of 
God.  Though  doomed  in  the  flesh,  the  voice  of  infinite  love 


Beatrice  and  Margaret.  5 1 

whispers,  "She  is  saved;"  for  hers  is  more  the  sorrow  that 
purifies  than  the  sin  that  condemns.  Never  was  there  such  a 
perfect  and  exquisite  idyl  of  love  —  the  greatest  theme  of  the 
poet  and  novelist.  It  is  the  very  story-essence  of  all  that  is 
melting  in  pathos,  thrilling  in  tragedy,  and  winning  in  sim 
plicity. 

Dear,  beautiful  Margaret!  the  purest  ideal  of  womanhood 
in  its  chiefest.  joy  and  its  deepest  anguish.  Thy  sad,  sweet 
story  is  the  allegory  of  the  human  conscience  —  the  true  myt/ios 
of  the  higher  life  of  duty  and  spiritual  devotion.  In  the  end 
thou  wilt  be  avenged  by  subduing,  yes,  by  saving  thy  betrayer! 
The  victory  of  love  is  thine!  Beatrice  represents  the  finished 
harmony  of  a  pure  and  noble  soul,  wherein  all  the  best  powers 
of  mind  and  heart  are  ranged  on  the  side  of  truth  and  goodness. 

Margaret  symbolizes  the  moral  powers  crushed  and  de 
graded  by  the  baser  elements  of  our  nature.  The  gentle,  holy 
spirit  is  sinned  against,  and  takes  its  mournful  departure,  leav 
ing  our  souls,  like  Faust's,  in  a  Walpurgis  night  of  dissipation 
and  despair. 

Yet,  in  themselves  and  their  influence,  these  characters  are 
not  essentially  unlike.  It  was  the  spirit  or  memory  of  a  Mar 
garet  that  led  Faust  of  the  second  part  away  from  his  evil 
companionship  to  a  life  of  noble  self-sacrifice;  while,  on  the 
other  hand,  the  world-worn  Dante  was  at  first  lost  in  a  tangled 
forest,  pursued  by  wild  beasts,  and  seized  with  nameless  fears. 
He,  too,  had  learned  that  neither  pleasure,  nor  knowledge,  nor 
power  can  make  man  wholly  unmindful  of  those  truths — 

"  Which,  be  they  what  they  may, 
Are  yet  a  fountain  light  of  all  our  days, 
Are  yet  the  master  light  of  all  our  seeing1. 
Upholds  us,  cherish,  and  have  power  to  make 
Our  noisy  years  seem  moments,  in  the  being 
Of  the  eternal  silence." 

Of  these  high,  intuitive  truths,  Beatrice  and  Margaret,  the 
crown-wearer  and  cross-bearer,  were  made  types — symbols  of 
duty  and  suffering,  equally  potent  for  good  and  conducive  to 
perfection. 

The  haughty,  cold-hearted  Goethe  was  fervently,  nobly,  and 
often  loved.  In  Margaret's  sad  story  he  carefully  measured 
the  utter  self-sacrifice  of  woman's  love.  Into  her  character  he 


52  Winning  Orations. 

gathered  the  fragrance  of  many  crushed  flowers,  which  haunts 
every  scene. 

Dante's  masterpiece  shows  what  a  noble  woman  may  be 
come,  and  suggests  to  man  a  growing  consciousness  of  absolute 
independence,  high  thought,  and  purity  of  soul. 

Both  these  portraits  were  drawn  by  men;  but  let  such  laurels 
as  even  these  poets  wear,  dishearten  no  pleader  for  woman,  for 
better,  far  better,  is  the  saint  than  the  image,  the  life  than  the 
book. 

In  one  of  his  last  lectures  on  Robert  Burns,  in  the  great 
City  Hall  of  Edinburgh,  Professor  Wilson  told  the  story  of  a 
proud  and  accomplished  lady  of  noble  birth  who  was  wont  to 
walk  at  noon  in  her  garden,  when  the  plowman-poet,  leaving 
his  team  in  the  furrow,  crept  about  the  hedge  to  steal  a  glimpse 
of  her  beauteous  face.  They  came  upon  each  other  unawares 
at  a  sudden  angle.  She  turned  away  in  scorn  from  the  cower 
ing  intruder;  but  the  poet  saw  only  her  beauty,  and  soon  one 
of  his  noblest  poems  was  written  and  sent  to  her  with  apologies. 
"And  here,"  continued  the  speaker,  leading  forward  upon  the 
stage  a  bowed  and  wrinkled,  but  justly  proud,  old  lady,  "here 
is  the  woman  who  inspired  Burns  to  write  one  of  the  rarest 
tributes  that  genius  ever  paid  to  beauty." 

Is  it  not  nobler  to  be  the  muse  than  the  poet,  the  Madonna 
than  the  shrine? 

Let  men  organize,  administer,  invent;  an  infinite  and  no  less 
noble  field  of  work  remains  for  woman  in  revealing  new  beauties 
of  character,  in  originating  new  "allurements  to  truth  and  new 
incentives  to  virtue,"  in  adorning  the  domestic  and  social 
world  with  the  art  of  new  and  simple  refinements,  and  all  the 
hallowed  influences  of  a  higher  life. 


SATAN  AND  MEPHISTOPHELES. 


By  OLIN  A.  CURTIS,  of  Lawrence  University. 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 

Olin  A.  Curtis  was  born  December  10,  1850,  at  Frankfort, 
Maine,  and  educated  in  a  thorough  manner  at  Lawrence  Uni 
versity,  Appleton,  Wisconsin,  and  at  the  Boston  Theological 
School.  In  1880  he  joined  the  Wisconsin  Methodist  Episcopal 
Conference,  and  was  chosen  pastor  the  same  year  of  the  Court 
Street  Church,  Janesville,  Wisconsin,  remaining  three  years. 
In  1883  he  became  pastor  of  the  Summerfield  Church,  of  Mil 
waukee,  Wisconsin,  where  he  labored  for  three  years.  While 
upon  this  charge  he  delivered  the  memorial  oration  of  General 
Grant  for  the  City  of  Milwaukee.  In  1886  he  went  to  Germany, 
and  was  a  student  in  the  University  of  Leipzig  for  two  years. 
Upon  his  return  from  Germany  he  joined  the  Rock  River  Con 
ference,  and  was  engaged  as  pastor  of  the  Englewood  Church, 
Chicago.  In  February,  1889,  he  was  elected  to  the  chair  of 
Systematic  Theology  in  the  Theological  School  of  Boston 
University,  which  position  he  fills  with  distinguished  ability. 
He  is  a  doctor  of  divinity,  and  a  man  of  much  intellectual 
culture.  His  college  oration  here  given  was  delivered  at  the 
fourth  annual  oratorical  contest,  upon  which  occasion  he  was 
the  winning  contestant. 


THE  ORATION. 

Delivered  at  the  Inter-State  Oratorical  Contest,  at  Madison,  Wisconsin,  May, 
1877,  taking  first  prize.  Judges:  Messrs.  LYMAN  TRUMBULL,  C.  C.  COLE,  W.  F. 
VILAS,  Rev.  C.  H.  RICHARDS. 

Prominent  among  the  devils  of  fiction  are  Milton's  and 
Goethe's.  Representing  the  same  Evil  Being,  they  are  yet  as 
unlike  as  Macbeth  and  lago  —  each  character  being  as  unique 
as  it  is  masterly,  both  becoming  only  the  more  clearly  defined 

(53) 


54  Winning  Orations. 

as  we  study  the  entire  family  of  demons  from  Marlowe's  to 
Byron's.  Whatever  may  have  been  the  poet  's  intentions,  what 
ever  may  be  the  critic  's  final  decision,  Satan  and  Mephistoph- 
eles  are  certainly  heroes  —  the  central  figures  of  the  two  poems 
holding  our  attention  with  a  grasp  at  once  fascinating  and 
terrible.  In  spite  of  our  worthy  purpose  to  hate  devils  whether 
in  the  body  or  out  of  the  body,  to  be  interested  only  in  those 
creatures  and  those  conceptions  which  savor  of  the  divine, 
these  brain-born  fiends,  in  the  presence  of  angels  the  holiest 
and  humanity  the  most  inspiring,  command  our  thought,  en 
chain  our  will,  and  marshal  our  emotions  as  with  the  mystic 
charm  of  Ismeno's  deadly  spell. 

The  body  of  Satan,  in  comparison  with  which  that  of  our 
classical  Hercules  is  pigmean,  would  be  a  burden  sufficient  to 
crush  any  other  character  in  fiction;  but,  touched  by  Milton's 
remarkable  genius,  rendered  formless  and  indistinct  as  well  as 
vast,  and  thus  having,  as  Macaulay  has  said,  "none  of  the  fee- 
faw-fum  of  Tasso  and  Klopstock,"  it  seems  perfectly  adapted 
to  his  mental  features,  and  serves  but  to  increase  what  George 
Eliot  calls  "the  grandeur  of  the  wild  beast." 

Indeed,  what  body  can  be  too  enormous  for  Satan?  Is 
there  one  aspect  in  which  he  is  not  utterly  bewildering?  Can 
we,  amazed  at  the  valor  of  Rinaldo  and  the  aspirations  of 
Napoleon,  comprehend  this  devil  who  "durst  defy  the  Omni 
potent  to  arms?  Here  is  an  ambition  that  seeks  the  throne  of 
God,  and  reaches  after  the  scepter  of  eternity;  a  courage  that 
feels  no  pain,  knows  no  fear,  dreams  of  no  disaster;  a  daring 
that  sweeps  through  the  battle  as  the  fiery  breath  of  a  simoon; 
a  pride  as  obdurate  as  fate;  an  egotism  absolutely  infinite, 
speaking  and  acting  as  though  conscious  of  strength  to  anni 
hilate  the  Almighty  and  splinter  his  dominion;  a  grit  so  ad 
mirable  that  our  thoughts  at  times  all  but  leap  the  holy  barriers, 
and  cry  out  for  the  overthrow  of  the  chariots  of  God! 

Witness  the  manifestation  of  these  various  characteristics. 
Though  wounded  by  the  resistless  sword  of  Michael,  though 
defeated,  his  troops  scattered  in  wild  confusion,  yet  Satan  had 
no  thought  of  yielding,  but  cheers  his  comrades  with  more  than 
the  art  of  a  Xenophon,  then  invents  his  "devilish  enginery," 
and  once  more  meets  with  fearless  march  the  "rattling  storm 
of  arrows  barbed  with  fire."  Now  his  complete  punishment 


Satan  and  Mephistopheles.  5  5 

has  come.  His  flaming  volley  has  been  answered.  His  squad 
rons  have  been  buried  under  the  mountains,  plucked  from  their 
foundations,  and  filing  as  pebbles  speeding  from  the  slingers 
brawny  arm.  The  Son  of  God,  with  thunders  "winged  with 
red  lightning  and  impetuous  rage,"  has  driven  the  rebellious 
multitude  over  the  crystal  wall.  But  Satan  is  not  subdued. 
His  arm  has  failed.  His  might  has  proved  of  no  avail.  His 
followers  are  "overwhelmed  with  floods  and  whirlwinds  of 
tempestuous  fire."  His  fairest  hopes,  like  brightest  skies,  have 
vanished,  but  his  heart  is  still  invincible.  Regrets  are  banished. 
Despondency  and  sorrow  are  spurned.  Despising  compromise; 
unwilling  to  repent,  though  the  premiership  of  glory  would 
come  thereby;  madly  reckless  as  to  results;  bound  to  pay  back 
the  Almighty;  meaning  to  shadow  all  heaven  with  sorrow,  to 
agonize  the  Infinite  Heart,  to  hush  the  hallelujahs  before  the 
throne — this  Arch-Fiend  determines  to  build  up  a  rival  kingdom 
out  of  the  very  chaos  of  hell,  and,  forcing  his  entire  being  into 
this  one  desperate  purpose,  he  takes  the  black  crown  with  that 
sad,  malignant,  terrible  coronation  speech,  "Hail,  horrors! 
Hail,  infernal  world!" 

In  striking  contrast  with  the  character  of  Satan  is  that  of 
Mephistopheles,  whom  Carlyle  has  called  "the  only  genuine 
devil  of  the.se  latter  times."  Satan  is  the  culmination  of  am 
bition;  Mephistopheles,  the  quintessence  of  skepticism.  In 
Goethe's  metaphysical  devil  there  is  condensed  every  form  of 
doubt,  from  that  of  the  deist  to  that  of  the  libertine.  He  is 
not  only  literally  "the  spirit  that  constantly  denies,"  but,  as 
Madame  cle  Stael  has  said,  "He  expresses  doubt  itself  with  a 
tone  of  decision,  which,  mixing  arrogance  of  character  with 
uncertainty  of  reasoning,  leaves  no  consistency  in  anything 
but  evil  inclinations."  With  what  infernal  irony  he  sneers  at 
philosophy,  declaring  that  an  entire  system  may  be  built  up 
with  words,  yet  advising  the  anxious  student  to  write  away  as 
zealously  as  though  the  Holy  Ghost  were  dictating  to  him! 
With  what  bitter  pleasantry,  what  diabolical  coolness,  what 
pitiless  sarcasm  he  insinuates  that  love  is  a  mere  passion  — 
spark  from  the  animal;  that  virtue  can  always  be  bent  like  a  reed 
under  the  tread  of  the  storm!  Mephistopheles  would  shatter 
every  blessed  hope  and  every  cherished  opinion;  would  blast 
whatever  of  zeal,  whatever  of  trust,  whatever  of  affection  en- 


56  Winning  Orations, 

nobles  our  toil  and  hallows  our  homes.  Acting  upon  his  tersely- 
worded  theory,  that  "everything  which  has  originated  deserves 
to  be  annihilated,"  he  would  become  the  supreme  destroyer  of 
mankind.  With  words  that  sting  like  scorpions,  with  glances 
and  motions  as  full  of  poison  as  were  Armida's  fountains,  with 
a  malicious  grin  more  consummately  hellish  than  is  the  atheism 
and  blasphemy  of  Byron's  Lucifer,  this  philosophical  demon 
would  undermine  the  foundation  of  the  sciences,  affirming  that 
deduction  is  folly  because  there  may  be  no  mind,  and  induc 
tion  absurd  because  there  may  be  no  facts;  would  overthrow 
religion,  not  with  the  argument  of  Hume,  but  by  denying  the 
reality  of  reason  and  testimony  both;  would  call  life  a  gigantic 
myth,  and  immortality  a  stupendous  lie;  would  put  an  interro 
gation  point  after  all  existence,  and  utter  the  name  of  God  with 
a  rising  inflection. 

In  his  work  of  doubt  and  demolition,  Mephistopheles  ex 
hibits  an  intellect  vastly  superior  to  that  of  Satan.  The  deceit 
that  led  the  parents  of  the  race  to  ruin  was  Japanese  jugglery 
in  comparison  with  the  marvelous  transformations  by  which 
Faust  and  Margaret  were  ensnared.  Mephistopheles  can 
adapt  every  power  of  his  mind  to  any  situation.  Now  he  is 
as  jolly  as  King  Lear's  jester;  now  as  kind  and  attentive  as  a 
lover;  now  as  metaphysical  as  Aristotle.  Perfectly  under 
standing  the  human  heart,  knowing  all  its  points  of  weakness, 
just  how  it  will  meet  every  influence,  he  so  transforms  himself, 
body  and  mind,  as  to  touch  the  one  successful  spring  and  ac 
complish  the  desired  end. 

Yet  more  wonderful  than  this  adaptation  is  the  utilization 
of  forces.  Satan  is  grand  in  his  prodigality;  Mephistopheles 
in  his  economy  of  power.  Satan  would  have  killed  Valentine 
with  a  great  expenditure  of  rage  and  strength;  Mephistopheles 
does  it  quietly  with  an  unseen  turn  of  his  forearm.  The  one 
never  does  by  skill  what  he  can  do  by  might;  the  other  never 
does  by  might  what  he  can  do  by  skill.  Next  to  the  Omnis 
cient,  Mephistopheles  is  the  greatest  economist  in  the  universe. 
He  gauges  the  breath  of  his  anger,  and  wastes  not  even  a  sneer. 
Like  Von  Moltke,  he  plans  everything,  and  never  strikes  with 
out  a  map.  He  ruins  men  by  the  nicest  mathematical  calcu 
lations,  and  damns  women  from  the  swift  conclusions  of  a 
syllogism.  Where  Satan  would  work  through  the  mind,  Mephis 


Satan  and  MepJiistoplieles.  57 

topheles  works  through  the  heart,  seeing  this  to  be  the  shorter 
route  to  death.  lie  draws  Faust  from  philosophy  to  pleasure, 
from  thought  to  feeling,  sending  through  his  veins  blood  aflame 
with  lust,  realizing  that  once  in  the  fiery  furnace  of  passion, 
only  those  having  with  them  "the  form  of  one  like  unto  the 
Son  of  God"  can  possibly  escape  without  "the  smell  of  fire 
having  passed  on  them."  He  overcomes  Margaret  through 
her  affections,  clearly  foreseeing  that  to  these,  and  to  these 
alone,  she  will  make  any  sacrifice,  casting  even  her  precious 
garland  from  her;  yielding  to  the  tempter  till  her  peace  is 
gone,  which  she  finds  on  earth  never  and  never  more;  becom 
ing  enslaved  till  her  heart  is  rich  only  in  sad  memories  —  till 
her  loveliness  has  fled  as  a  Magdalen's  dream  of  heaven  —  till 
those  pure 

"  Feelings  that  could  once  such  noble  life  inspire, 
Are  quenched  and  trampled  out  in  passion's  mire." 

This  is  Mephistopheles.  Satan  —  revengeful,  willful,  haughty, 
intrepid,  ambitious  Satan  —  an  archangel  fallen,  yet  still  re 
splendent  with  a  lingering  ray  of  his  original  glory  — like  the 
Coliseum,  magnificent  even  as  a  ruin  —  seems  worthy  of  the 
crown  of  sainthood  in  contrast  with  this  mean,  jeering,  sar 
castic  doubter;  this  confident  sophist;  this  cool,  artful,  cautious 
strategist;  this  malignant  destroyer,  grinning  calmly  at  the 
damnation  of  souls;  this  "abortion  of  dirt  and  fire;"  this 
counterpart  of  the  real  devil  who  has  already  crowded  our 
lives  with  anguish,  and  filled  this  beautiful  world  with  the 
bitter  pangs  of  hell. 


FAITH  AND   DOUBT  AS  MOTORS  OF  ACTION. 


By  S.  FRANK  PROUTY,  of  Central  College. 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch,  Hon.  S.  F.  Prouty,  was  bom 
near  Delaware,  Ohio,  January  17,  1854.  His  parents  started 
with  him  to  Iowa  in  the  fall  of  1855,  and  while  journeying  his 
mother  died,  and  was  buried  at  Mt.  Pleasant,  Iowa.  His  father, 
with  the  five  boys  and  one  girl,  continued  the  journey  to  Knox- 
ville,  Iowa,  where  the  motherless  children  found  temporary 
homes  with  friends.  "Little  Frank"  was  placed  in  the  keeping 
of  a  family  where  he  succeeded  in  causing  a  generous  amount 
of  domestic  infelicity.  The  "man  of  the  house"  fell  in  love 
with  the  two-year-old,  white-haired  boy,  and  wanted  to  adopt 
him;  but  "the  lady  of  the  house"  took  a  decided  dislike  to  "the 
brat,"  and  resolved  that  the  same  abode  would  not  accommo 
date  both.  It  was  finally  resolved,  in  the  interest  of  peace, 
that  Frank  should  move  again,  and  he  was  taken  to  his  father, 
where  he  lived  until  he  was  eight  years  old.  At  this  time 
misfortune  overtook  the  Prouty  home,  and  the  boys  were  told 
that  they  would  have  to  "hoe  their  own  row."  Although  the 
youngest,  Frank  felt  as  much  a  man  as  any  of  them,  and  insisted 
on  the  right  to  fight  the  battles  of  life  with  his  brothers.  The 
right  was  freely  given,  and  since  that  time  he  has  depended  on 
himself.  He  spent  his  boyhood  in  farming,  and  served  as 
apprentice  under  most  of  the  enterprising  "grangers"  within 
a  radius  of  ten  miles  of  Pella,  Iowa.  He  attended  school  in 
winter,  and  prosecuted  his  studies  at  night  and  during  vacation. 
At  sixteen  years  of  age  he  presented  himself  to  the  superin 
tendent  of  public  instruction  of  Mahaska  County  for  a  teacher's 
certificate,  which  he  procured,  after  passing  the  examination, 
but  he  was  too  timid  to  ask  a  school  board  for  a  position.  In 
1871  he  entered  Central  University,  Pella,  Iowa;  then  spent 

(58) 


Faith  and  Doubt  as  Motors  of  Action.  59 

two  years  at  Simpson  College,  Indianola,  Iowa,  but  returned 
and  finished  the  classical  course  at  Central  University,  in  1877, 
representing  Iowa  the  same  year  at  the  inter-State  oratorical 
contest,  held  at  Madison,  Wisconsin,  and  receiving  the  second 
prize.  Upon  his  graduation  he  was  tendered  and  accepted  the 
chair  of  Latin  and  natural  sciences  in  Central  University,  which 
lie  occupied  four  years.  Later  he  was  made  vice  president, 
thus  has  filled  all  offices  from  janitor  to  vice  president  in  this 
university.  While  a  student  and  teacher  he  began  the  study 
of  law,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1881,  and  deservedly 
enjoys  the  reputation  of  being  one  of  the  ablest  lawyers  in 
Central  Iowa.  In  1879  he  was  nominated  and  elected,  by  the 
Republican  party,  the  representative  of  Marion  County,  Iowa. 
Mr.  Prouty  is  a  member  of  the  firm  of  Lesh,  Prouty  &  Abbott, 
the  largest  manufacturers  and  exporters  of  walnut  lumber  in 
the  United  States.  It  is  hoped  his  remarkable  success  will  be 
continued. 

THE  ORATION. 

Delivered  at  the  Inter-State  Oratorical  Contest,  at  Madison,  Wisconsin,  May 
1877,  taking  second  prize.  Judges:  Messrs.  LYMAN  TRUMBULL,  C.  C.  COLE,  W.  F. 
VILAS,  Rev.  C.  H.  RICHARDS. 

This  is  truly  an  age  of  doubt.  The  blind  credulity  of  a  few 
centuries  ago  has  been  followed  by  a  natural  reaction.  Chil 
dren  no  longer  passively  accept  the  creeds  and  traditions  of 
their  ancestors.  The  people  have  ceased  to  receive,  without 
question,  the  utterances  of  clergy,  bishops,  priests  or  Popes, 
or  to  bow  reverently  to  the  declarations  of  the  most  lordly 
dignitaries.  Scientists  receive  with  mistrust  the  theories  and 

o 

even  the  data  of  their  predecessors. 

Everything,  before  it  can  be  accepted,  must  not  only  be 
submitted  to  the  focus  of  reason,  but  also  be  tested  through 
the  microscopic  agency  of  distrust.  First  doubt,  and  believe 
only  when  forced  by  evidence,  is  the  maxim  of  the  age.' 

The  present  spirit  of  investigation  seeks  not  so  much  to 
establish  truth  as  to  detect  errors;  not  so  much  to  confirm 
existing  creeds,  theories,  and  institutions  as  to  overthrow  them. 

The  spirit  of  doubt  has  been  bold  and  aggressive.  It  has 
questioned  the  wisdom  and  perfection  of  nature,  the  genuine 
ness  of  revelation,  the  existence  of  a  God,  the  existence  of 


60  Winning  Orations. 

matter  or  spirit,  and  even  the  existence  of  the  doubter  himself. 
There  is  scarcely  a  fact  in  history  that  has  not  been  questioned. 
Not  even  those  institutions,  hoary  with  antiquity,  and  made 
almost  inviolable  by  the  universal  acceptance  of  past  ages, 
have  been  able  to  escape  the  searching  blast  of  modern  skepti 
cism. 

The  fact  that  this  age  of  prevailing  doubt  should  also  be 
distinguished  as  an  age  of  unequaled  progress,  has  led  a  cer 
tain  class  of  writers  who  are  wont  to  connect  two  contempo 
raneous  events  as  cause  and  effect,  to  infer  and  freely  assert 
that  it  is  doubt  "that  is  moving  forward  the  wheels  of  progress." 
One  writer  has  gone  so  far  as  to  assert  that  "doubt  has  done 
more  for  the  world  than  faith."  If  this  be  true,  it  is  the  greater 
motor  of  action;  for  it  is  action  that  blesses  and  renovates  the 
world.  Motion  is  nature's  great  purifier.  Without  it  the  crystal 
stream  would  become  the  stagnant  pool,  the  vitalizing  air  a 
fetid  and  ruinous  gas,  and  the  universe  one  vast  ocean  of  turbid 
stagnation.  Perfect  cessation  in  the  social,  no  less  than  in  the 
material,  workl- generates  impurity;  it  breeds  vice  and  corrodes 
virtue. 

All  human  action  flows  from  principles  of  the  soul.  We 
recognize  from  the  operations  of  the  mind  that  it  is  apparently 
composed  of  certain  principles  and  their  opposite  conditions- 
positives  and  negatives.  Thus  hope  is  a  principle  of  which 
despondency  is  merely  the  absence  or  perversion.  So  with 
faith  and  doubt.  One  is  the  positive,  the  other  the  negative. 
One  is  the  principal,  the  other  the  opposite  condition.  One  is 
the  natural,  the  other  the  acquired  state  of  the  mind. 

But  the  fact  that  the  child  believes  without  evidence,  and 
the  aged  person  scarcely  with  it;  the  fact  that  faith  finds  its 
maximum  in  the  mind  of  the  confiding  infant,  and  its  minimum 
in  the  incredulous  old  man,  proves  that  faith  is  the  innate 
principle,  and  that  doubt  is  only  the  result  of  frequent  betrayals 
and  flagrant  abuses  of  natural  confidence;  that  faith  is  the 
positive,  and  doubt  the  negative.  It  is  a  misconception  when 
we  attribute  to  nonentities  moving  agency.  Heat  expands, 
but  cold  does  not  contract. 

Again,  instead  of  a  man's  believing  nothing  without  evi 
dence,  he  naturally  believes  everything  until  evidence  and  the 
results  of  experience  cause  him  to  doubt.  It  takes  a  preponder- 


Faith  and  Doubt  as  Motors  of  Action.  61 

ance  of  adverse  evidence  of  it  to  create  doubt,  but  faith  is  the 
gift  of  the  Creator.  Skepticism  is  a  disease  of  the  intellect, 
for  which  the  subject  is  responsible  to  the  same  extent  that  he 
is  for  a  disease  of  the  body. 

Believing  is  the  normal,  doubting  the  abnormal  condition 
of  the  mind.  That  which  is  abnormal  may  hinder,  but  cannot 
promote,  action.  It  may  retard,  but,  on  the  whole,  cannot 
facilitate  progress.  It  may  tend  to  rest,  but  never  to  motion. 
Here  theory  and  fact  coincide.  Our  tendency  to  act  in  any 
direction  is  diminished  just  in  proportion  to  our  doubt  in  that 
direction.  Though  skepticism  in  one  field,  as  regards  effects 
or  results,  may  turn  our  attention  toward  another,  yet  there 
must  be  faith  in  that  other  field  before  there  can  be  action. 
It  may  stop  from  pursuing  one  course,  but  it  cannot  lead  us 
along  another.  It  may  cause  us  to  reject  one  thing,  but  it 
cannot  induce  us  to  lay  hold  upon  another.  It  may  restrain 
us  in  one  direction,  but  it  cannot,  even  by  a  reflex  operation, 
propel  us  in  the  opposite.  It  may  cause  stagnation,  but  action 
never. 

Its  mission  is  to  tear  down,  not  to  build  up.  Its  power  is 
wholly  destructive,  not  constructive.  It  may,  by  the  diversion 
of  interest  and  the  relaxation  of  energy,  cause  the  monuments 
reared  by  ages  to  crumble,  but  it  cannot  erect  others  on  their 
ruins.  It  may  cause  the  scientist  to  reject  a  thousand  theories, 
but  it  cannot  stimulate  him  to  form  a  single  new  one.  Though 
he  should  doubt  the  soundness  and  validity  of  every  known 
theory,  and  had  no  faith  in  any  scientific  investigation  to  de 
velop  other  and  better  ones,  there  could  be  no  actiou.  Doubt 
may  destroy,  but  cannot  restore. 

On  the  other  hand,  into  whatever  department  of  human 
enterprise  we  look,  we  find  that  faith  is  the  power  that  moves 
every  energy  employed.  Without  it  not  one  act  could  be  per 
formed,  not  one  thought  matured,  not  one  plan  executed. 
Without  it  every  other  faculty  would  become  dormant,  and 
every  energy  of  the  whole  man  paralyzed.  Faith  is  the  great 
motor  of  action.  It  is  the  wellspring  of  human  energy. 

But  there  is  a  higher  form  of  faith  than  that  which  is  cen 
tered  upon  an  object  of  pursuit,  to  which  this  class  of  writers 
may  refer.  If  they  mean  that  such  a  faith  has  done  less  for 
the  world  than  its  corresponding  doubt,  that  irreligion  has  done 


62  Winning  Orations. 

more  than  religion,  it  is  but  necessary  to  appeal  to  history  and 
fact.  In  this  appeal  it  matters  not  whether  the  faith  was  pure 
and  enlightened  or  mingled  with  superstition;  whether  it  rested 
upon  a  false  or  true  Deity;  upon  Jehovah  or  an  idol  of  benighted 
Africa  —  faith  in  its  motive  power  is  a  unit.  And  when  it  is 
centered  even  upon  a  mythical  deity,  it  excels,  in  the  benefac 
tion  of  mankind,  its  corresponding  doubt,  as  motion  transcends 
stagnation.  The  firm  believer  in  any  religion  is  endowed  with 
an  enthusiasm  that  lifts  his  mind  above  the  whole  visible 
world,  above  the  power  of  perishable  things,  and  above  the 
fear  of  death  itself.  Hence  the  believing  world  has  ever 
represented  the  highest  activity.  Religious  faith  has  ever 
furnished  the  highest  stimulus  for  the  highest  energy.  It 
nerves  the  soul  with  Herculean  strength  in  time  of  danger, 
and  enables  men  to  perform  the  most  heroic  deeds.  It  arms 
them  with  that  Cyclopean  power  that  enables  them  to  accom 
plish  the  most  stupendous  works,  to  overcome  the  most  in 
superable  difficulties,  and  move  resistlessly  forward  on  the 
highest  plane  of  human  activity. 

Again,  if  you  will  turn  to  the  smoky  pages  of  the  past,  or 
the  fresher  pages  of  the  present,  though  you  will  there  find  it 
recorded  that  religion  has  sacrificed  thousands  of  human 
victims,  both  upon  the  altar  and  upon  the  field  of  battle;  that 
its  bigoted  devotees  have  frequently  waged  war  against  the 
rights  of  others,  and,  perhaps,  against  the  rights  of  humanity; 
that  priestly  influences  have  frequently  stifled  investigation 
and  curbed  free  thought  —  yet  you  will  there  find  the  record  of 
few  real  blessings  that  have  conic  to  the  human  race  that  have 
not  been  borne  upon  the  wings  of  some  religious  faith.  In 
every  nation  and  every  age  it  has  formed  the  anchor  of  society, 
the  basis  of  morality,  the  foundation  of  government.  If  at 
present  you  should  dig  deep  beneath  courts,  laws,  and  offices, 
you  would  still  find  it  underlying  and  forming  the  basis  of  the 
grandest  governmental  structures.  Remove  this,  and  they 
must  fall.  Blot  from  China  faith  in  the  doctrines  of  Confucius, 
and  that  old  empire  —  that  empire  which  has  stood  there  im 
mutable  through  centuries,  that  empire  which  has  been  pre 
served  by  an  unchanging  faith  while  every  other  government 
in  the  world  has  fallen  or  undergone  a  revolution  —  would 
crumble  to  pieces  in  a  fortnight.  Religion  is  the  rock  upon 


Faith  and  Doubt  as  Motors  of  Action.  63 

which  governments  must  rest.  It  is  the  only  cement  that  can 
unite  into  a  whole  the  diversified  interests,  or  bind  together 
the  factions  of  a  widely  differing  people.  When  one  of  those 
ancient  forms  of  religion  fell,  it  carried  with  it  not  simply 
government,  but  letters,  laws,  and  all  the  splendor  of  its  civili 
zation;  all  was  anarchy  and  ruin,  confusion  and  dissolution, 
until  another  religion  gained  supremacy,  formed  another  gov 
ernment,  and  thus  secured  peace  and  harmony. 

No  government  can  long  survive  the  egress  of  religious 
faith  from  the  hearts  and  minds  of  her  people.  Infidelity  re 
moves  all  restraint,  lets  loose  all  the  fierce  pent-up  passions  of 
man's  depravity,  subverts  the  very  foundations  of  morality,  and 
soon  sweeps  away  the  virtues  of  society  and  the  institutions  of 
good  government.  Relaxing  the  higher  energy,  it  calls  into 
activity  the  lower  and  more  debasing;  removing  the  nobler 
stimulus,  it  increases  the  power  of  the  ignoble. 

Again,  it  is  to  this  faith  that  the  world  owes  its  marks  of 
the  higher  civilization.  It  has  established  the  colleges  for  the 
enlightenment,  and  the  philanthropic  institutions  for  the  ameli 
oration  of  mankind.  It  has  promoted  science  and  true  progress. 
Instead  of  stifling  investigation  and  curbing  free  thought,  as  is 
sometimes  charged,  it  simply  moderates  wild  and  fanciful 
speculation.  At  present,  at  least,  it  is  moving  forward  the 
wheels  of  true  progress,  while  infidelity  is  "throwing  on  the 
brake." 

It  has  also  made  the  world  blossom  with  beauty  and  teem 
with  grandeur.  It  was  this  that  inspired  Milton,  Dante,  Virgil, 
Homer,  Horace,  and  all  the  Hebrew  seers  to  utter  their  noblest 
strains  of  poetry.  Examine  the  libraries  of  the  world  for  proof 
of  the  assertion  that  the  master  productions  in  literature,  in 
every  nation  and  tongue,  have  been  developed  under  the  influ 
ence  of  the  same  power. 

Sculpture  and  painting  arose  with  heathen  worship,  and 
reached  their  culmination  when  Raphael  and  Angelo,  with 
brush  and  chisel,  wrought  out  their  grand  conceptions  of  a 
perfect  yet  incarnate  Jehovah. 

Here,  too,  architecture  finds  its  origin  and  perfection.  If 
you  were  to  wander  far  back  amid  the  ruins  of  ancient  archi 
tecture,  and  pause  before  the  crowning  perfection  of  "the  glory 
of  kingdoms  and  the  beauty  of  the  Chaldee's  excellency" — 


64  Winning  Orations. 

the  temple  of  the  old  Babylon,  rising  tower  above  tower  and  col 
umn  above  column  to  the  height  of  six  hundred  feet  —  and  ask 
what  power  could  have  reared  that  marvel  of  colossal  grandeur, 
the  huge  golden  statute  of  Jupiter,  resting  upon  the  summit  of 
the  topmost  tower,  would  tell  you,  in  language  that  could  not 
be  mistaken,  that  it  was  faith  in  a  divinity.  If  you  were  to 
wander  over  into  Northern  Africa,  there  the  pyramids,  Cheops 
and  Chefrenes,  the  mighty  monuments  of  antiquity,  with  their 
hoary  heads  still  towering  o'er  the  wrecks  of  time,  would  tell 
you  that  it  was  faith  in  a  divinity  that  reared  them.  If  you 
were  to  pass  back  to  classic  Greece  and  Rome,  there  the  temples 
of  Delphi,  of  Juno,  of  Olympian  Jove,  and  of  Diana,  the  grand 
est  specimens  of  architectural  grandeur,  would  tell  you  that  it 
was  faith  in  a  divinity  that  reared  them.  If  you  were  to  stand 
by  the  pagodas  of  China,  the  cromlechs  of  Wales,  the  obelisks 
of  Egypt,  the  mosques  of  India,  or  the  ruins  of  those  magnificent 
temples  of  ancient  Mexico,  they  would  all  tell  you  that  it  was 
faith  in  a  divinity  that  reared  them.  If  you  were  to  interrogate 
the  finest  specimens  of  modern  architecture  in  the  world,  the 
cathedrals  of  London,  Milan,  and  Rome,  with  all  their  richness 
of  proportion  and  grandeur  of  effect,  their  lofty  spires  piercing 
the  heavens,  would  tell  you  that  it  was  faith  in  a  divinity  that 
reared  them.  Were  you  to  repeat  the  interrogation  to  the 
thousands  of  spires  and  colossal  domes  that  tower  heavenward 
from  Germany,  France,  England,  and  America,  they  would  tell 
you  that  it  was  faith  in  the  divinity  of  the  Galilean  Carpenter 
that  reared  them.  This  faith  to-day  is  the  mighty  engine  that 
is  moving  the  world.  It  is  the  mightiest  of  the  mighty  powers 
that  are  shaping,  moulding,  and  controlling  the  destiny  of  the 
human  race.  It  is  the  heart  of  the  great  giant  of  progress  and 
civilization.  With  every  pulsation  it  sends  life,  energy,  and 
humanity  through  every  vein. 

On  the  other  hand,  every  dominant  religion  in  every  nation 
and  time  has  had  its  legion  of  unbelievers.  But  what  monu 
ments  of  their  achievements  have  they  left  us?  To  what  really 
noble  strain  of  poetry  have  they  given  utterance?  What  fine 
specimen  of  sculpture  or  painting  have  they  given  the  world? 
What  grand  or  magnificent  edifice  have  they  erected?  What 
great  and  noble  work  have  they  accomplished  for  humanity? 
What  colleges  or  benevolent  institutions  have  they  established 


Faith  and  Doubt  as  Motors  of  Action.  65 

for  the  enlightenment  or  amelioration  of  mankind?  None! 
We  seek  for  them  in  vain  among  the  ruins  of  the  past  or  the 
realities  of  the  present. 

Skepticism  is  a  land  of  perpetual  snows,  where  flowers  never 
bloom  and  the  plant  of  humanity  never  grows.  Doubt,  where- 
ever  found,  paralyzes  energy  and  congeals  the  well-spring  of 
human  activity.  Faith  gives  life  and  energy.  It  is  faith  that 
moves  the  mind;  "it  is  mind  that  moved  the  world." 


THE  LONELINESS  OF  GENIUS. 


By  E.  A.  BANCROFT,  of  Knox  College. 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 

E.  A.  Bancroft  was  born  November  20,  1857,  at  Galesburg, 
Illinois.  He  prepared  for  college  at  Knox  Academy,  and 
entered  Knox  College,  Galesburg,  Illinois,  in  1874.  He  took 
second  prize  in  declamation  in  both  freshmen  and  sophomore 
years,  and  took  first  prize  in  oratory  in  his  junior  year.  At 
the  convention  of  the  Illinois  Inter-Collegiate  Association, 
held  at  Evanston,  October,  1876,  he  was  elected  president. 
He  received  the  first  prize  at  the  Illinois  contest,  held  at 
Monmouth,  October  18,  1877,  on  oration  "The  Need  of  the 
Hour,"  and  nine  colleges  were  represented  in  this  contest. 
At  the  inter-State  contest,  in  May,  1878,  St.  Louis,  Missouri, 
he  received  the  first  prize  among  six  State  representatives, 
on  "The  Loneliness  of  Genius."  In  1878  he  was  graduated 
bachelor  of  arts  from  Knox  College,  and  in  the  fall  of  the 
same  year  entered  the  Columbia  College  Law  School,  New 
York,  and  was  graduated  from  it  bachelor  of  law.  In  May, 

1880,  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar  of  Illinois,   and  began  the 
practice  of  law  at  Galesburg,  and   is   now  a  member    of  the 
prosperous  firm  of  Williams,  Lawrence  &  Bancroft.     In  January, 

1881,  he  argued   the  contested  election  case  of   Nicholas   E. 
Worthington   vs.  Philip   S.   Post,  on   behalf   of  General    Post, 
(Republican,)  before  the  committee  on  elections  of  the  5Oth 
Congress,  for  the  seat  in  the  House  as  representative  of  the 
Tenth  Congressional  District  of  Illinois;  the  committee,  though 
Democratic,  reported  unanimously  in  favor  of  General  Post.     In 
1880  Mr.  Bancroft  was  elected  presidential  elector  for  the  Tenth 
Congressional  District  of  Illinois,  on  the  Republican   ticket 
The  following  pages  contain  his  oration,  which  is  worthy  of 
particular  note. 

(66) 


Tlic  Loneliness  of  Genius.  67 


THE  ORATION. 

Delivered  at  the  Inter-State  Oratorical  Contest,  at  St.  Louis,  Missouri,  May, 
1878,  taking  first  prize.  Judges:  Hon.  A.  TAFT,  Bishop  THOS.  BOWMAN,  Hon. 
BKNJAMIN  HARRISON,  Hon.  WM.  HYDE. 

Insects  swarm;  the  lion  forages  alone.  Swallows  consort 
in  myriads;  the  condor  dwells  companionless  in  the  awful 
solitudes  of  the  Cordilleras.  Weakness  wars  with  thousands; 
might  battles  a  Goliath.  Littleness  is  gregarious;  greatness  is 
solitary.  The  grandest  realization  of  civilized  society  is  the 
man  of  genius.  His  individuality  is  of  the  most  distinctive 
type,  and  by  its  very  intensity  necessitates  his  insulation.  But 
what  is  genius?  What  is  life?  Call  it  transcendent  mental 
power;  intensity  of  the  intuitive  and  inventive  faculties;  say 
that  it  is  of  the  heart,  innate,  soul-born,  incommunicable.  But 
is  that  all? 

The  mind  perceives,  the  heart  feels,  and  the  whole  being 
vibrates  with  the  pulsations  of  the  great  truth  or  strong  passion, 
struggling  mightily  to  the  birth.  Then  genius,  by  a  common 
instinct  of  nature  in  travail,  withdraws  from  the  multitude, 
and  in  silence  and  in  solitude,  inswathes  the  bright  children  of 
its  soul.  Not  in  courts  nor  palaces  nor  classic  halls  nor  coteries 
of  the  learned  are  deepest  emotions 'felt  or  embodied,  grandest 
truths  discovered,  or  sublimest  conceptions  begotten  or  born; 
but  from  Sinai's  slopes  and  the  shores  of  Gennesaret,  from  the 
chamber  of  blindness  in  London  and  the  felon's  cell  at  Bedford, 
have  come  the  revelations  that  bless  mankind. 

Emerson  says,  "Veracity  derives  from  instinct  and  marks 
superiority  in  organization."  So  we  may  say,  lonelines  derives 
from  nature  and  marks  superiority  in  endowment  and  delicacy 
in  organism.  These  we  conceive  to  be  the  main  factors  in  the 
loneliness  of  genius,  and  shall  so  consider  them. 

Superiority  of  endowment  —  the  first  and  chief  cause  of 
loneliness  in  men  of  genius. 

An  almost  necessary  concomitant,  the  peculiar  charm  of 
lofty  intellects,  as  of  mountain-peaks,  is  solitariness.  Were 
the  hundred  Alpine  summits  equally  elevated,  Mont  Blanc 
would  little  engage  the  poet's  pen  or  the  tourist's  eye.  But 
peerless  and  cloud-wrapt,  he  towers  in  cold  sublimity  to  com 
panionship  with  the  stars.  So  .genius,  upborne  by  a  faith  that 


68  Winning  Orations. 

gazes  upon  the  ineffable,  holds  lofty  communion  with  the  uni 
versal  Soul  above  and  around  it. 

Think  of  the  Prophet  at  Horcb;  the  royal  Buddha  in  the 
caves  of  India;  the  divine  Dante  wandering  like  the  shade  of 
an  unburied  Greek;  Gibbon  weaving  his  chaplet  of  immortelles 
by  the  lonely  waters  of  Leman,  and  Byron  gathering  on  the 
deserted  shores  of  the  yEgean  the  jewels  which  to-day  glitter 
in  the  diadem  of  his  fame.  Oh,  the  solitude  of  great  minds! 
How  they  shun  the  crowd  and  seek  peace  and  inspiration  amid 
the  solemn  beauties  and  lone  sublimities  of  nature!  'They 
wander  through  "the  pathless  woods;"  they  linger  on  the  wave- 
washed  beach,  awed  and  thrilled  by  the  deep  anthems  of  the 
sea;  they  stand  alone  upon  the  mountain-tops  and  hear  un- 
terrified  the  voice  of  storms.  'T  is  a  voice  of  nature  —  they 
know  it  well.  Like  the  eagle,  the  Oioros — the  "lone-flyer" 
of  the  Greeks,  they  gaze  with  undimmed  eyes  upon  the  sun  of 
truth.  This  is  the  loneliness  of  genius;  or  rather  it  is  the  ex 
pression,  the  outward  symbol,  of  an  inherent  isolation,  which 
often  is  hidden,  yet  is  part  as  well  as  characteristic  of  all  genius. 
Like  Burns,  the  man  of  genius  may  mingle  in  the  busiest  scenes 
of  life  —  at  the  plow  with  simple  peasants,  at  the  board  of 
Edinburgh's  nobility  —  yet  his  soul  is  ever  "like  a  star,  and 
dwells  apart."  He  stands 

"Among  them,  but  not  of  them:  in  a  shroud 
Of  thoughts  which  are  not  their  thoughts." 

Neither  craving  their  applause  nor  fearing  their  displeasure,  he 
is  self-contained  without  arrogance,  elevated  without  haughti 
ness,  learned  without  pedantry,  superior  yet  without  vanity. 
Beings  of  a  nobler  faith,  they  seem  ambassadors  or  visitors 
from  the  courts  of  a  higher  sphere,  and  are  estranged  from  the 
world  by  the  peculiarity  of  their  nature  and  their  mission. 
The  laureate  of  loneliness  was  the  youthful  Shelley.  His  eye 
caught  the  light  of  a  coming  dawn,  and  his  soul  the  freedom 
of  a  looked-for  age.  His  life  was  wed  to  the  interpretation  of 
the  soul  within,  and  the  grander  soul  around  him.  He  wor 
shiped  nature,  ofttimes  heard  "the  still,  sad  music  of  humanity." 
Beside  him  place  the  unpoetic,  tender-hearted  Lincoln.  His 
deep,  sad  eyes  and  pensive  hours  gave  many  a  token  of  a 
loneliness,  hidden  from  the  popular  eye,  yet  real  and  pathetic 
beyond  expression.  His  was  a  character  grandly  simple.  Un- 


The  Loneliness  of  Genius.  69 

conscious  and  spontaneous,  yet  vigorous  and  brave,  it  is  the 
most  unique,  solitary,  beautiful  in  our  history. 

The  peculiarly  delicate  mental  constitution  of  genius,  espe 
cially  if  environed  by  unpropitious  influences,  is  another  and  a 
frequent  cause  of  intense  lonesomeness. 

Lord  Byron's  misanthropy  and  alienation  illustrates  this. 
His  life  was  made  up  of  the  widest  and  wildest  extremes  and 
antagonisms.  His  nature  warred  \\ith  its  environments,  and 
his  environments  mocked  his  nature.  The  springs  of  his  life- 
were  early  embittered,  and  he  felt  alone  in  a  hostile  world. 
Born  amid  enemies,  he  died  amid  strangers.  A  lyre  so  finely 
strung  could  not  be  so  roughly  swept  and  no  string  be  broken. 
Think  of  our  wandering  Pleiad  of  poesy,  the  Byron  of  America. 
With  the  temperament  of  a  delicate  girl  he  struggled  with  the 
coarse  natures  of  a  great  city.  He  was  a  frail  and  beautiful 
exotic  amid  the  sharp  thistles,  stunted  pines,  and  gnarled  oaks 
of  a  northern  clime  —  a  trembling  faun  among  the  uncouth 
denizens  of  the  farm-yard.  Early  and  sadly  Poe  died  as  he 
had  lived  —  alone;  and  the  brightest  star  in  American  litera 
ture  went  out  in  darkness. 

But  these  men  of  genius  are  insulated  more  by  their  fineness 
of  mental  mechanism  and  their  superlative  sensitiveness  than 
by  the  rough  treatment  of  the  world.  And  this  utter  absence 
of  sympathy  is  often  their  heaviest  and  keenest  grief.  Gray's 
epitaph  says,  "He  gained  from  heaven  —  'twas  all  he  wished  — 
a  friend."  Ah!  that  is  it!  Admirers,  patrons,  flatterers  —  they 
all  have  these;  but  how  few  have  friends!  And  without  intel 
ligent  sympathy  genius  is  as  much  alone  in  the  thoroughfares 
or  parlors  of  a  metropolis,  as  by  the  sullen  crater  of  yEtna  or 
the  voiceless  shores  of  the  Arctic  sea. 

But  isolation  not  only  results  from  the  nature  but  also 
enhances  the  power  of  genius.  It  concentrates  and  matures 
intellect  and  imagination;  it  deepens  and  intensates  every 
motion;  it  makes  the  soul  self-centered  and  self-directed,  and 
it  counteracts  the  enervating  and  dispersive  influence  of  society. 
The  one  law  of  society  is  "Conform,"  and  against  it  the  un 
conscious  spontaneity  of  genius  must  rebel. 

Society  discusses  grave  topics  flippantly,  or  considers 
trivial  subjects  seriously.  Only  to  itself  does  the  soul  tell  its 
inmost  thoughts,  convictions,  and  emotions.  Moore  and  Cole- 


70  Winning  Orations. 

ridge,  and  Dickens,  by  joining  too  often  in  the  dissipations  of 
society,  undoubtedly  diminished  the  strength  and  vigor  of  their 
genius,  and  brought  their  grand  careers  to  an  untimely  close. 
Although  the  influence  of  mental  isolation  is  highly  favor 
able  to  intellectual  development,  it  is  often  detrimental  to  dis 
position  and  character.  Melancholy  is  the  form  it  commonly 
assumes.  To  the  youthful  genius  the  tendencies  to  doubt  and 
despondency  are  almost  irresistible.  His  mind  at  first  forceful, 
buoyant,  and  original,  soon  feels  the  conservatisms  of  the  world 
pressing  upon  and  confining  it  like  the  fabled  iron  shroud.  He 
fancies  himself  a  young  Enceladus  beneath  an-  yEtna  of  out 
grown  forms.  If  he  submit  as  to  the  inevitable  he  sinks  into  a 

o 

gloomy  pessimism  in  whose  firmament  there  shines  no  star. 
If  he  resist,  his  misfortune  begets  a  bitter  defiance  of  mankind 
and  a  scornful  indifference  to  their  affairs.  He  is  the  cynic  or 
the  misanthrope,  the  Diogenes  or  the  Timon. 

But  it  is  when  men  of  genius  escape  these  phases  of  solitari 
ness,  and  reach  the  sphere  of  a  grander,  nobler,  purer  loneliness, 
that  they  attain  to  the  ideal.  When,  forgetting  the  enmities 
of  the  present,  they  calmly  await  the  glory  of  the  future;  when 
they  exchange  the  mantle  of  selfish  loneliness  for  the  garb  of 
philanthropy;  when,  from  the  misery,  the  exile,  the  dungeon, 
or  the  scaffold,  to  which  an  ungrateful  people  has  consigned 
them,  there  comes  a  voice  of  prayer,  "Forgive  them,  for  they 
know  not  what  they  do,"  ah  then  their  genius  transcends 
humanity  —  becomes  divine.  How  sublime  their  silence  before 
their  accusers!  What  can  they  say  to  the  ignorant  and  the 
superstitious?  Stand  by  Socrates  and  Bruno  and  feel  the  utter 
folly  of  speech:  "And  when  He  was  accused  of  the  priests 
and  elders  he  answered  nothing,  insomuch  that  the  governor 
marveled  greatly." 

One  closing  thought  seems  voiced  from  the  subject  we  have 
discussed:  it  is  the  ministry  of  genius  to  the  children  of  men. 
Not  useless  are  these  God-made  men  on  whom  abides  "the 
light  that  never  was  on  sea  or  land."  Though  dwelling  com- 
panionless  and  high,  yet  are  they  apostles  of  good  to  the  mil 
lions  who  tread  the  lowliest  vales  of  earth.  The  else  too 
somber  web  of  life  they  brighten  with  threads  of  purple  and 
gold.  Into  dull  souls  they  breathe  a  quickening  spirit.  To  the 
groveling  and  earth-bound  they  arc  angels  of  a  nobler  and 


The  Loneliness  of  Genius.  -  \ 

better  life.  Interpreters  of  deeper  mysteries,  they  hold  ajar 
for  us  the  doors  of  the  ineffable.  Heralding  all  grander  truths, 
they  are  the  pioneers  of  civilization,  the  exponents  and  prophets 
of  that  Golden  Age  for  which  humanity  waits. 


DANTE. 

By  J.  GERRY  EBERHART,  of  Cornell  College. 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 

J.  Gerry  Eberhart  was  born  July  27,  1856,  at  Shrewsbury, 
Pennsylvania,  and  is  of  Scotch-Irish  and  German  parentage. 
When  nine  years  old  he  was  converted  and  joined  the  Method 
ist  Episcopal  Church.  He  attended  academy  three  years  at 
Shrewsbury,  and  then  his  father  placed  him  in  Lebanon  Valley 
College,  Annville,  Pennsylvania,  when  but  thirteen  years  old. 
At  fifteen  years  of  age  he  attended  Cornell  College,  Mt.  Vernon, 
Iowa,  one  year,  and  at  seventeen  years  re-entered  and  continued 
five  years,  graduating  in  1878;  in  ctirsu  he  received  the  degree 
master  of  arts.  While  in  college  he  was  president  of  the 
oratorical  association,  and  manifested  notable  interest  in  the  lit 
erary  society,  and  received  one  of  the  gold  medals  at  the  inter- 
State  oratorical  contest,  when  President  Harrison  was  one  of 
judges.  Mr.  Eberhart's  early  ambition  was  in  the  law  business, 
but  feeling  toward  the  close  of  his  college  course  especially 
called  to  the  ministry,  he  entered  Drew  Theological  Seminary, 
Madison,  New  Jersey,  to  prepare  himself  for  the  Master's  work. 
His  began  his  labor  in  Central  Pennsylvania  Conference  under 
the  presiding  elder,  and  afterward  joined  the  Rock  River  Con 
ference,  of  Illinois.  At  the  expiration  of  three  years  he  moved 
to  Flagstaff,  Arizona,  the  only  missionary  point  on  the  Altantic 
&  Pacific  Railroad  from  Albuquerque,  New  Mexico,  to  Barstow, 
California.  One  year  later  he  located  at  Prescott,  and  was 
chaplain  of  the  council  of  the  i6th  legislative  assembly.  He 
was  sent  to  Central  City,  Colorado,  by  special  appointment  oi 
Bishop  Bowman;  he  was  also  located  at  Ouray,  Colorado.  He 
eventually  returned  to  the  Rock  River  Conference,  and  is  al 
present  located  in  Kent,  Illinois,  devoting  his  time  to  preach 
ing  and  lecturing. 

(72) 


Dante.  73 


THE  ORATION. 

Delivered  at  the  Inter-State  Oratorical  Contest,  at  St.  Louis,  Missouri,  May, 
1878,  taking  second  prize.  Judges:  lion.  A.  TAFT,  Bishop  THOS.  BOWMAN,  Hon. 
BENJAMIN  HARRISON,  Hon.  WM.  HYDE. 

The  history  of  a  nation  is  the  history  of  her  great  men. 
Dante  was  the  prophetic  exponent  of  the  heart  of  the  Middle 
Ages,  the  embodiment  of  the  character,  and  the  realization  of 
the  science  of  his  day.  A  character  original,  pathetic,  and 
angelic,  whose  inspired  soul  led  the  intellect  in  its  train.  Tasso, 
Spenser,  Goethe,  Byron,  and  Milton  bathed  themselves  in  the 
light  of  his  resplendent  genius. 

Mis  writings  are  as  subtle  as  logic  and  as  sublime  as  nature's 
laws.  The  "Divina  Commedia"  is  his  masterpiece.  He  incor 
porated  into  his  immortal  work  the  learning,  philosophy,  relig 
ion,  and  popular  traditions  of  the  mystic  age.  The  universe 
was  his  field  of  labor;  eternity  the  goal  of  his  endeavor,  and  the 
solitude  of  thought  his  studio. 

A  pioneer  in  literature,  he  cast  upon  the  waters  bread  which 
is  feeding  the  starving  millions  to-day.  Having  entered  the 
"Holy  of  Holies"  he  has  wandered  through  the  labyrinths  of 
the  human  heart.  The  triple-headed  dog  Cerberus  ceased  his 
barking,  and  competition  fled  from  Dante  as  "from  the  glance 
of  destiny."  To  him  was  given  the  keys  of  the  bottomless  pit. 
Devils  trembled  at  his  approach. 

He  lived  as  if  seeing  Him  who  is  invisible.  An  angel  incar 
nate,  he  recognized  simply  mind  and  spirit,  and  was  not  polluted 
by  the  touch  of  earth. 

Who  shall  breathe  a  word  against  him,  or  say  he  was  not 
conversant  with  the  sentiments  and  principles  which  are  the 
living  springs  of  beauty?  With  one  stroke  of  his  forearm 
having  shattered  the  kingdom  of  papacy  he  fled  from  the 
terrors  of  torch  and  dagger,  and  wandered  an  exile  in  all  lands. 
His  persecutors  coveted  his  fleshless  palms  and  lifeless  form 
for  their  city,  ready  to  place  them  in  "the  damp  vault  that 
weeps  o'er  royal  bones." 

Dante's  poetry  differs  from  Milton's  as  the  picture-painting 
of  Mexico  from  the  hieroglyphics  of  Egypt.  The  images  of 
Dante  are  concise  and  level  with  the  common  mind,  while  those 
of  Milton  are  elaborated  for  the  chosen  few. 


74  Winning  Orations. 

"If  you  examine  Italian  art,"  said  Cornelius,  "its  decline 
begins  when  painters  ceased  to  carry  Dante  in  their  minds." 
He  was  the  connecting  link  between  medieval  and  modern 
literature.  In  him  the  latter  had  its  birth.  It  mattered  not 
whether  chasing  the  butterflies  of  youth,  or  all  aglow  with  life's 
meridian  glory,  the  chief  magistrate  of  Florence,  the  immortal 
dreamer,  or  a  banished  hero,  he  was  the  same  man  of  destiny. 
Mounted  on  thought's  fantastic  pinion,  he  sailed  from  mountain- 
top  to  mountain-top  and  from  glory  to  glory.  The  populace 
acknowledged  him  as  prophet,  priest,  and  king,  and  with  trem 
bling  hand,  as  if  in  the  presence  of  the  supernatural,  exclaimed, 
"See  there,  the  man  who  has  been  in  hell!"  Like  Luther,  he 
had  heard  the  cry  of  others,  "If  there  is  a  hell,  Rome  is  built 
over  it!" 

He  cringed  before  no  foe,  and,  filled  with  that  holy  enthu 
siasm,  the  sure  premonitor  of  success,  his  fame  widened,  and 
stars  came  out  to  adorn  his  crown.  When  he  went  out  in  death 
no  night  followed.  He  lives  in  the  bright  light  of  his  example, 
enshrined  in  the  hearts  of  a  worthy  posterity,  and  he  shall  be 
forgotten  only  when  men  cease  to  revere  genius  and  virtue, 
and  trample  upon  their  cherished  memorials. 

America  —  thanks  to  her  own  honored  poet,  Longfellow- 
begins  to  appreciate  the  transcendent  intellect  and  pure  soul  of 
Dante.  Who  has  not  experienced  the  soul-subduing  awe  of 
his  solemnity,  or  been  raised  to  the  loity  heights  of  his  sub 
limity?  Who  has  not  felt  the  gloomy  pathos  and  keen  sarcasm 
and  personality  of  his  verse?  He  converted  heathen  antiquity 
into  Christian  mythology,  and  built  up  a  new  heaven  and  a 
new  earth.  No  muse  called  by  fancy  from  the  fabled  heights, 
no  ambition  to  spread  a  sounding  name  abroad,  gave  the  world 
the  grander  efforts  of  Dante;  but  we  owe  all  to  the  inspiration 
of  a  young  and  beautiful  woman. 

Dante  once  stood,  as  the  shadow  of  a  devil,  in  the  back 
ground;  but,  under  the  glowing  light  of  modern  criticism  and 
truth,  he  is  transformed  into  an  archangel  wearing  the  victori 
ous  sword  of  a  Michael,  ready  to  smite  the  red  dragon  of  the 
seven-hilled  city,  though  standing  upon  the  Prince  of  Darkness 
at  the  very  mouth  of  hell. 

As  the  simple  light  is  seen  on  the  mountain  before  the 
monster  Vesuvius  belches  destruction  upon  listless  Pompeii,  so, 


Dante.  75 

silently,  under  a  propitious  star  of  the  Italian  constellation, 
Dante  began  his  state.  He  came  —  a  mental  and  moral  light, 
a  savior  and  not  a  destroyer,  in  the  fiery  times  —  to  free  the 
bondsmen  and  point  out  the  higher  path  of  a  Christian  civili 
zation. 

His  age,  like  ancient  Pompeii,  now  lies  buried,  and  only  by 
digging  beneath  the  surface  of  his  literature  is  it  truthfully  re 
vealed.  His  literature  unveils  not  only  the  history  of  his  times, 
but  also  the  foundation  of  his  creative  energy,  upon  which  he 
reared  the  fabric  of  his  fame. 

He  exemplified  futurity  to  the  material  eye  by  the  personi 
fied  presence  of  living  actors.  Thus,  with  rich  hues  of  reality, 
he  made  his  scenes  more  impressive.  He  even  clothed  the 
myths  which  shock  and  amuse,  while  they  flee  from  our  grasp 
as  "a  shadow  or  a  mocking  spirit." 

Dante  shines  by  no  reflected  light.  A  star  of  the  first  mag 
nitude,  the  center  of  all  attraction,  he  shines  in  the  firmament 
of  creative  mind. 

The  images  of  Dante  are  not  rude  forms  struggling  into 
notice,  striving  in  vain  to  maintain  their  equilibrium.  They 
burst  upon  us  as  the  first  view  of  the  sea,  holding  the  eye  by 
their  infinity,  and  filling  us  with  a  longing  to  examine  them 
with  a  closer  gaze. 

Dante  loved  solitude,  not  the  solitude  of  slavish  fear  which 
shrinks  from  sight,  but  grand  and  peculiar  he  rose  like  a  pyra 
mid  above  the  gloomy  desert  of  the  fourteenth  century.  With 
eyes  upon  the  subjective  phenomena,  inward,  yet  an  accurate 
observer  of  the  objective,  he  recognized  the  material  as  typical 
only  of  the  ideal  and  the  divine.  He  stood  alone,  because 
head  and  shoulders  above  his  fellows.  He  weighed  the  nations 
in  the  even  balance  of  his  justice. 

His  land  is  one  of  enchantment  and  wild  despair.  Every 
thing  wears  the  garb  of  vivid  personality.  The  mystic  chain 
of  friendship  is  unbroken.  The  trees  are  so  many  tongues. 
The  rended  rocks  tell  their  history.  The  myrtle  into  which 
Polydorus  had  been  metamorphosed,  when  struck  by  the 
rude  hand  of  desire,  bleeds,  and  utters  sorest  plaints  from  its 
wounded  side.  The  animals  shake  pestilence  from  their  shaggy 
manes.  The  air  moans  in  agony.  The  rivers  run  red  to  the 
sea.  And  only  by  worshiping  at  the  shrine  of  changeless 


76  Winning  Orations. 

Providence  are  we  led  out  to  the  "ever-green  mountains  of 
life." 

Dante's  devils  are  to  be  hated.  They  are  monsters  of  hid 
eous  mien  and  immense  proportions.  His  Lucifer  does  not 
appear  as  an  archangel  ruined,  but  as  "«  seraph  willfully  fallen" 
He  bears  no  marks  that  would  solicit  sympathy,  but  maintain 
ing  his  obdurate  pride  is  willing  to  wear  the  crown  at  the 
bottomless  pit,  an  Arch-Fiend,  rather  than  bow  to  the  Lord 
Almighty. 

Dante  is  led  through  the  realm  of  Paradise  by  the  celestial 
smile  of  Beatrice,  who  is  the  embodiment  of  divine  science. 
Her  smile  deepens  until  high  on  the  wings  of  rising  faith  he 
sees  "grace  culminate  in  the  ever-blessed  Trinity  in  unity, 
where  unto  is  taken  forevermore  the  glorified  humanity  of 
God  Incarnate." 

And  now  the  wanderer  returns  and  seeks  repose  in  Florence, 
the  fairest  home  in  Italy.  Ah!  thou  too,  Florence,  dost  thou 
spurn  him  from  thy  bosom?  Has  the  common  mother  forgotten 
her  offspring?  Is  this  rejection  the  fruit  of  his  abundant  sweat 
and  toil  in  thy  behalf?  Dante  becomes  the  adopted  child  of 

Ravenna. 

"On  thy  hoary  shores,  fortress  of  fallen  empire! 
Honored  sleeps  the  immortal  exile." 

Hear,  fairest  Italy!  Arise!  Shake  off  the  dust  from  thy 
garments,  and  take  thy  place  in  the  front  rank  of  nations! 
"The  spirits  of  thy  sons  are  standing  on  every  step  of  the 
temple  of  genius  since  the  twelfth  century."  The  children 
call  thee  blessed,  for  Dante,  the  immortal  Dante,  greatest  of 
them  all,  sleeps  in  thy  bosom.  Ye  streams  that  go  dancing 
into  the  sea,  sound  his  praise!  Ye  torrents,  thunder  it  in  your 
awful  plunge!  Ye  soft  skies,  wreath  yourselves  in  smiles  and 
weep  tears  of  joy!  Ye  silent  voices  of  nature,  whisper  it  to  the 
winds!  Ye  winds,  carry  it  upon.your  wings  the  world  over!  Ye 
purple  hills,  tell  it  to  the  stars!  Ye  fiery  battalions  that  tread 
the  celestial  way,  sing  it  to  the  music  of  the  spheres!  Dante's 
ministers  on  trembling  pinions  wait  to  catch  their  master's 
least  commands.  Time,  the  tomb-effacer,  covers  up  all  things 
human.  Empires  rise  and  sink  as  waves  of  the  sea.  The 
proudest  works  of  man  are  short-lived,  and  "dust  to  dust" 
concludes  the  noblest  song.  The  lofty  marble  and  bronze  will 


Dante.  77 

crumble  and  fall.  The  iron  bands  will  burst  asunder.  The 
everlasting  hills  will  sink  into  nothingness.  The  earth  will 
vanish  as  a  scroll.  The  burning  orbs  that  gem  the  radiant 
brow  of  night  will  wander  "rayless  and  pathless;"  and  mid 
night,  universal  midnight,  will  reign. 

But  Dante  ever  lives,  and  his  spirit  grows  brighter  by  time. 
He  sung,  impelled  by  the  power  that  rules  in  Heaven,  and  then 
gave  his  golden  harp  into  angels'  keeping,  and  it  awaits  his 
master  touch  to  answer  in  sweeter  strains  in  the  morning  of 
the  resurrection. 


IAGO. 

By  R.  M.  LA  FOLLETTE,  of  Wisconsin  State  University. 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 

It  is  that  great  disparity  between  the  humble  log-cabin  and 
the  honored  chair  of  State  which  truly  shows  the  great  possi 
bilities  of  an  American  life.  Mr.  La  Follette's  life  has  been 
one  of  this  true  American  type.  The  rapidity  of  his  political 
and  social  growth  has  been  as  marvelous  as  that  of  any  Amer 
ican  statesman.  Robert  Marion  La  Follette  was  born  in  a  log- 
cabin  in  the  town  of  Primrose,  Dane  County,  Wisconsin,  June 
14,  1855.  When  six  years  of  age  his  parents  moved  to  Argyle, 
in  a  neighboring  county,  where  his  time  was  divided  between 
working  on  a  farm  and  attending  a  district  school.  In  1873 
the  family  moved  to  Madison,  and  here  he  attended  a  private 
academy  preparatory  to  entering  the  State  University,  where 
he  was  admitted  to  the  freshman  class  in  September,  18/5. 
His  early  college  work  was  characterized  by  his  activity  in  the 
debating  societies,  and  in  literary  work  as  editor  and  joint- 
owner  of  the  university  press.  In  his  junior  year  he  was  elected 
by  the  Athenean  Society  as  its  orator  in  junior  exhibition. 
In  his  senior  year  he  represented  the  university  in  the  inter- 
State  contest,  at  Iowa  City,  Iowa,  winning  the  prize  on  his 
oration  "  lago."  This  literary  masterpiece,  combined  with  its 
faultless  elocution  and  delivery,  established  his  reputation  as 
a  writer  and  orator.  He  took  his  diploma  with  the  class  of  '79, 
and  entered  the  law  school  in  the  fall  of  the  same  year,  which 
he  attended  only  one  term,  completing  his  law  studies  in  an 
office.  He  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1880,  and  in  the  fall  of 
the  same  year  was  nominated  and  elected  by  the  Republicans 
district  attorney  of  Dane  County.  This  office  he  filled  with 
such  conspicuous  ability  that  at  the  following  election,  in  1882, 
he  was  re-chosen  by  his  county,  notwithstanding  formidable 
opposition  and  the  fact  that  the  average  plurality  against  his 

(78) 


(•/•*' 


lago.  79 

ticket  was  over  a  thousand.  The  severest  strain  upon  the 
powers  of  a  member  of  the  legal  profession  comes  in  the  trial 
of  cases.  Tested  thus  as  a  master  of  the  points  of  his  cause, 
in  quick  perception,  and  close  discrimination  in  examination 
of  witnesses,  and  the  gift  of  exposition  to  court  and  jury  of 
the  law  and  facts  involved,  Mr.  La  Follette  is  pre-eminent.  The 
reputation  earned  by  him  as  a  lawyer,  together  with  the  popu 
larity  and  friendships  attaching  to  a  winning  and  genial  per 
sonality,  brought  him  before  the  people  of  the  capital  district 
as  their  most  desirable  candidate  for  Congress,  and  in  1884  he 
was  nominated  and  elected  congressman  of  the  third  district. 
He  was  the  youngest  man  in  the  49th  Congress,  being  but 
twenty-nine  years  of  age  when  his  term  commenced.  He  was 
re-elected  to  his  seat  in  Congress  and  again  in  1888,  and  was 
unanimously  renominated  by  the  Republicans  of  his  district 
in  1890,  but  in  the  political  revolution  ensuing  upon  the  intro 
duction  into  Wisconsin  State  politics  of  compulsory  education 
issues,  made  one  of  the  numerous  candidates  defeated,  his 
district  thereupon  losing  not  only  a  faithful  and  tireless  repre 
sentative,  but  one  of  unimpeachable  private  and  public  char 
acter.  Among  his  speeches  in  Congress,  winning  him  wide 
commendation,  are  more  particularly  his  discussion  of  th-j 
River  and  Harbor  Bill  of  1885;  his  reply  to  Speaker  Carlisle's 
speech  on  the  Mills  Bill;  his  defense  of  the  Lodge  Election 
Bill;  his  advocacy  of  the  constitutional  power  of  Congress  to 
tax  manufactured  compounds  deleterious  to  health;  and  his 
speech  in  endorsement  of  the  Tariff  Bill  of  1890.  Outside  of 
his  public  work  he  has  been  called  upon  to  do  much  public 
speaking.  During  his  first  term  in  Congress  he  was  chosen  to 
make  the  annual  address  to  the  Howard  Law  School,  at  Wash 
ington,  to  pronounce  the  oration  at  the  Grant  memorial  exer 
cises  held  at  the  Monona  Chautauqua  Assembly,  and  to  deliver 
a  political  address  in  Chickering  Hall  of  New  York.  As  a 
campaign  orator  he  is  greatly  in  demand;  his  style  is  simple 
and  direct,  his  vocabulary  copious  and  Anglo-Saxon,  his  argu 
ment  inductive,  and  thought  clear;  backing  this  is  the  gift  of 
oratory,  a  voice  musical  and  magnetic,  and  the  taste  and  dis 
crimination  of  a  trained  literary  mind.  In  1880  Mr.  La  Follette 
married  Miss  Belle  Case,  of  Baraboo,  Wisconsin,  who  had  been 
his  classmate  in  the  university,  and  to  whom  upon  graduation  in 


So  Winning  Orations. 

1879  was  awarded  the  Lewis  Prize  for  the  best  commencement 
oration.  In  addition  to  her  university  training  Mrs.  La  Follette 
also  took  a  full  course  in  the  Wisconsin  University  Law  School, 
and  was  the  first  lady  to  receive  a  diploma  from  that  institution. 
She  has  proven  herself  a  most  worthy  and  inspiring  sharer 
of  the  honors,  trials,  and  responsibilities  of  her  husband's  pro 
fessional  and  political  life.  At  the  expiration  of  the  present 
Congress  he  will  return  to  his  home,  at  Madison,  and  resume 
the  practice  of  law.  We  predict  for  him  a  future  which  will 
realize  the  promises  and  expand  the  reputation  gained  in  ten 
years  of  public  service  as  lawyer,  orator,  and  statesman. 


THE  ORATION. 

Delivered  at  the  Inter-State  Oratorical  Contest,  at  Iowa  City,  Iowa,  tak 
ing  first  prize.    Judges:   Prof.  W.  H.  HARRIS,  General  GIKON,  and  others. 

ABSTRACT  OF  ARGUMENT. 

1.  Mental  analysis  of  lago. 

Has  but  two  of  the  three  constituents  of  the  mind. 
Loss  of  emotional  nature  has  cost  him  his  moral  parts. 
What  he  lacks  in  feeling,  he  has  gained  in  knowing --he  knows  every 
thing,  feels  nothing. 

2.  Originality  of  his  methods  of  meanness,  as  shown  in  his  relations  to  the 

other  characters  of  the  tragedy. 

Display  of  his  intellectual  acuteness  —  his  power  of  dissimulation,  his 
manner  and  his  means. 

3.  He  is  a  being  without  conscience,  but  his  acute  mind  redeems  him  to  us 

as  a  subject. 

His  questioning  his  "reasons,"  the  result  of  his  mental  mechanism,  not 
the  protest  of  conscience. 

4.  Contrasted  with  Richard  III.  lago  is  more  perfect  as  a  devil,  Richard 

more  perfect  as  a  villain.     Richard's  conscience  finally  asserts  itself; 
lago  has  none,  hence,  is  his  superior  in  pure  hellish  consistency. 

5.  lago,  Shakespeare's  conception  of  the  "  Evil  Principle;"  hence,  the  vague 

ness  of  his  fate,  which  can  be  explained  in  no  other  way.     It  is  consist 
ent  with  a  devil  —  not  with  the'villain  of  a  tragedy. 

Shakespeare's  lago  personifies  two  constitutents  of  mind- 
intellect  and  will.  These  alone  are  the  springs  of  his  action, 
the  source  of  his  power.  What  he  lacks  in  emotion  he  has 
gained  in  intellectual  acuteness,  but  the  result  is  deformity. 
The  character  is  not  ^//-natural;  it  is  fiendishly  natural.  His 
reasoning  power  is  abnormally  developed;  but  he  has  no  feel- 


lago.  8 1 

ing,  no  sympathy,  no  affection,  no  fear.  His  is  the  cold  pas 
sion  of  intellect,  whose  icy  touch  chills  the  warm  life  in  all  it 
reaches.  He  is  an  intellectual  athlete,  and  is  unceasing  in  his 
mental  gymnastics.  His  contempt  for  all  good  is  supreme; 
his  greatest  crime  is  his  greatest  pleasure,  and  his  own  hypoc 
risy  gladdens  and  intoxicates  him.  Whatever  is  most  mean, 
whatever  is  most  hard,  whatever  is  vilely  atrocious  and  danger 
ously  difficult,  he  seizes  with  greedy  glee.  Skeptical  of  all 
virtue,  to  him  love  is  lechery,  truth-telling  stupid  goodness,  and 
lying  a  daring  to  be  ingenious. 

The  emotions  are  the  native  soil  of  moral  life.  From  the 
feelings  are  grown  great  ethical  truths  one  by  one,  forming  at 
last  the  grand  body  of  moral  law.  But  lago  is  emotionally  a 
cipher,  and  his  poverty  of  sentiment  and  wealth  of  intellect 
render  him  doubly  dangerous.  Here  we  have  the  key  to  his 
character  —  he  is  possessed  of  an  inflexible  will,  of  an  intellect 
pungent,  subtle,  super-sensual.  He  not  only  knows  more  than 
he  feels,  he  knows  everything,  feels  nothing. 

The  other  characters  of  the  tragedy  of  Othello — -a  tragedy 
which  Macaulay  pronounced  Shakespeare's  greatest  —  are  but 
puppets,  moving  at  the  will  of  this  master.  He  reads  them  at 
a  glance,  by  a  flash  of  instinct.  He  wastes  no  words  on  Rod- 
erigo  other  than  to  make  the  "fool  his  purse."  But  upon 
Othello  he  plays  with  most  subtlety,  and  infinitely  greater  zest. 
Upon  him  he  exercises  his  crafty  ingenuity;  and  the  "double 
knavery,"  the  "how?  how?"  whets  him  keen.  Now  flashes 
forth  the  invisible  lightning  of  his  malignant  mind,  and  woe  to 
all  virtue  within  its  reach.  Now  we  see  his  character  in  all  its 
artful  cunning,  all  its  devilish  cruelty.  With  what  marvelous 
skill  he  makes  his  first  attack!  He  does  nothing  in  the  com 
mon  way.  His  methods  have  the  merit  of  originality.  He  does 
not  assail  Desdemona's  virtue  with  a  well-conned  story,  but  is 
seemingly  surprised  into  an  exclamation,  appearing  to  utter  his 
suspicions  by  the  merest  accident.  And  when  he  has  engaged 
Othello's  ear,  note  his  matchless  cunning;  he  comes  and  goes, 
and  comes  and  goes  again,  with  his  ingenious  inuendoes;  chang 
ing  like  the  chameleon,  quick  to  take  his  cue  from  the  Moor, 
yet  craftily  giving  direction  to  the  other's  thoughts;  cursing 
Cassio  with  his  protestations  of  love,  and  damning  Desdemona 
while  joining  in  a  benediction  to  her  honesty.  The  "constant, 


82  Winning  Orations. 

loving,  noble  nature"  of  the  Moor  changes  quickly  under  the 
"almost  superhuman  art"  of  lago;  but  too  well  he  knows  the 
human  mind  to  gorge  it  with  suspicion;  and  with  every  dose 
of  poison  gives  just  a  little  antidote.  With  pious  self-accusa 
tion,  he  says,  '"Tis  my  nature's  plague  to  spy  into  abuses,"  and 
oft  my  jealousy  shapes  faults  that  are  not;"  but  carefully  adds, 
"It  were  not  for  your  quiet  nor  your  good  to  let  you  know  my 
thoughts;"  and  is  equally  careful  to  tell  them;  smothering  with 
one  hand  all  suspicion  of  his  perfidy,  and  kindling  with  the 
other  the  consuming  fires  of  the  Moor's  jealousy. 

lago's  manner  of  practicing  on  Othello  is  only  matched  by 
the  means  he  employs.  Like  the  genuine  devil,  he  destroys 
the  entire  household  —  not  through  some  unguarded  vice,  but 
through  its  very  virtues.  He  sets  all  goodness  by  the  ears. 
The  strength  of  the  Moor's  affection  is  made  a  fatal  weakness; 
and,  more  than  this,  the  very  medium  of  all  their  misery  is  she 

"Of  spirit  so  still  and  gentle  that  her  motion 
Blushed  at  herself." 

lago  and  Desdemona!  Strange,  unspeakable  union  of  oppo- 
sites!  Weird  harmony  of  discords!  Somber  mingling  of  a 
smile  and  a  sneer!  O  the  poet  whose  genius  could  compound 
these  elements  without  an  explosion!  O  this  "unequal  con 
trast  between  the  powers  of  grossness  and  purity!"  That  Des 
demona,  whose  child-like  nature  is  a  divine  fusion  of  innocence 
and  chastity,  should  be  played  off  against  a  moral  outlaw  —  a 
being  whose  livery  is  "heavenly  shows,"  and  whose  logic  is  the 
"divinity  of  hell"-— is  a  juxtaposition  appalling,  fascinating! 
'T  is  Dina  in  the  talons  of  a  Harpy.  That  virtue  should  be 
'turned  into  pitch,'  that  "out  of  goodness"  should  be  made 
the 'net  to  enmesh  them  all,'  that  innocence  should  become 
the  instrument  of  the  infernal,  is  a  "moral  antithesis"  that 
preludes  the  oncoming  of  chaos.  And  it  comes  like  the  quick 
night,  and  consummates  the  tragedy;  while  over  all,  in  sullen 
silence,  gloats  the  imp  of  darkness. 

Somewhere  Thomas  Carlyle  has  said,  "There  are  depths  in 
man  that  go  to  the  length  of  the  lowest  hell,  as  there  are 
heights  that  reach  highest  heaven;"  but  lago  is  a  magnet 
with  only  one  pole,  which  ever  points  toward  the  infernal. 
Why  is  it,  then,  that  this  character  does  not  disgust  us?  Why 
do  we  follow  his  intricate  windings  with  such  intense  interest? 


lago.  83 

Why  do  we  tolerate  him?  We  find  the  answer  in  his  great  in 
tellect.  This  is  the  core  of  his  character — abstract  intellectu 
ality  united  to  volitional  force,  devoid  of  all  morality,  divorced 
from  all  feeling.  He  is  hardly  human,  yet  he  sounds  humanity 
like  a  philosopher.  He  is  wanting  in  ethical  parts,  yet  he 
makes  the  nicest  moral  distinctions.  He  is  a  fraction,  yet 
greater  than  a  unit;  a  part,  yet  more  than  the  whole.  He  is  a 
paradox.  In  his  deep  schemes  we  nearly  forget  the  villain. 
His  triumph  over  all  obstacles  pins  the  attention  to  his  intel 
lectual  powers.  He  is  "instinct  with  thought."  This  redeems 
him  to  us  as  a  subject,  and  yields  another  explanation  for  what 
has  been  termed  his  "little  trace  of  conscience."  His  self- 
questionings,  his  subtle  sophisms,  his  cataclysm  of  reasons,  are 
not  the  weak  protest  of  a  moral  part,  but  the  logical  outcome 
of  a  sleepless  intellect.  He  is  emphatically  a  being  of  reasons. 
He  will  do  nothing  except  he  furnish  to  himself  the  "why." 
It  is  not  that  he  requires  these  reasons  as  a  "whetstone  for  his 
revenge,"  it  is  not  that  his  "resolution  is  too  much  for  his  con 
science,"  but  rather  that  he  revels  in  reasons,  that  his  hungry 
mind  will  have  its  food.  He  "suspects  the  lusty  Moor,"  and 
fears  "Cassio  with  his  night-cap,  too,"  on  occasion;  not  that  he 
dreads  to  destroy  either  without  some  motive,  but  because  his 
mental  constitution  demands  a  reason  for  all  things.  Schlegel 
defines  wickedness  as  "nothing  but  selfishness  designedly  un- 
conscientious;"  but  lago  makes  no  effort  to  deceive  himself, 
for  he  says: 

"When  devils  will  their  blackest  sins  put  on, 

They  do  suggest  at  first  with  heavenly  shows, 

As  I  do  now." 

He  does  not  care  to  justify  himself,  except  as  an  intellectual 
satisfaction.  He  desires  no  moral  vindication.  In  fact  he 
commits  crime  merely  for  crime's  sake,  and  there  is'  no  sin  that 
he  will  not  claim  as  his  own.  Think  of  it!  a  being  who  clutches 
at  wickedness  with  all  the  greed  of  a  miser.  Thoroughly  pas 
sionless,  coldly  intellectual,  he  is  forced  into  the  self-confession 
that  he  is  no  libertine;  yet  fearful  lest  the  admission  has  cost 
him  one  hellish  trait,  he  quickly  adds  that  he  stands  "account 
ant  for  as  great  a  sin."  This  is  a  moral  defiance  sublimely 
hideous,  but  hardly  reconcilable  in  a  being  with  even  a  "little 
trace  of  conscience."  Were  there  a  single  golden  thread  of 


84  Winning  Orations. 

moral  sense  to  knit  him  to  the  good  of  humanity  it  would  shine 
forth  when  Desdemona,- whose  only  offense  against  him  is  that 
she  is  pure,  sinks  under  his  cursed  cunning.  But  it  is  a  quality 
he  feel  not,  knows  not,  and  what  Coleridge  calls  "the  motivc- 
hnntino  of  a  motiveless  malignity ;"  this  constant  combing  of  his 
wits  for  reasons  is  simply  a  service  performed  at  the  mandate 
of  his  craving  intellect. 

These  are  the  premises  from  which,  as  a  conclusion,  we  de 
duce  lago  —  a  character  without  a  conscience. 

Mark  the  "steep  inequality",  between  him  and  Richard  III.: 
The  Duke  of  Gloster,  born  with  teeth,  a  twisted  body,  and  a 
majestic  mind,  cut  his  way  through  those  of  his  own  flesh  to  a 
throne.  Malignant  and  artful,  hypocritical  and  heartless,  he 
"seems  a  saint  when  most  he  plays  the  devil."  Monster,  he 
stands  apart  from  men;  he  is  "like  himself  alone,"  and  he 
stalks  along  his  bloody  course  a  solitary  creation.  Brave,  he 
has  the  audacity  to  defy  destiny,  the  impudent  confidence  to 
enter  the  lists  against  the  Unknown.  But  hidden  away  some 
where  in  his  black  soul  is  a  germ  of  conscience,  disguised  as 
superstitious  fear — a  germ  of  conscience  which  starts  forth 
when  that  towering  will  is  off  guard;  coming  in  the  thin  sub 
stance  of  a  dream,  yet  so  terrible  that  the  remorseful  "drops 
hang  on  his  trembling  flesh."  Here  is  his  humanity,  his  mortal 
weakness,  and  through  this  the  "  all-powerful  and  ever-watch 
ful  Nemesis"  hurls  her  lance,  barbed  to  the  shaft  with  retribu 
tion.  Pursued  by  croaking  phantoms,  scourged  by  the  invisible 
lash  of  violated  conscience,  he  flings  himself  into  the  conflict, 
and  with  a  royal  flourish,  in  perfect  keeping  with  his  character, 
closes  the  tragedy.  His  death  satisfies  the  equation  of  right. 

Richard  and  lago  possess  some  qualities  in  common:  both 
have  mighty  intellects;  both  are  wily,  cunning,  crafty;  both 
dissimulers;  both  actors.  But  farther  than  this  they  are 
profoundly  unlike.  Richard  III.  is  more  humanly  terrible; 
lago  more  devilishly  perfect.  Richard  loves  nothing  human; 
lago  hates  everything  good.  Richard  is  arrogant,  passionate, 
powerful,  violent;  lago  egotistical,  cold,  cynical,  sly.  Richard 
is  fire;  lago,  ice.  Richard  III.  is  more  objective;  lago,  more 
subjective.  Richard  would  pulverize  the  universe;  lago  would 
like  to  reverse  the  order  of  things.  In  point  of  satanical  finish 
lago  is  Richard,  and  more.  Richard  III.  murders  many  and 


I  ago.  85 

sweats  with  horror;  lago  few,  and  forgets  remorse.  Richard 
III.  mounts  the  throne  of  England  on  a  score  of  dead  bodies; 
lago  wins  the  throne  of  hell  in  three  strides.  The  conscience 
o!'  Richard  wakes  from  its  throne;  lago  has  no  conscience. 
Richard  III.  is  a  monstrosity;  lago,  a  psychological  contra 
diction. 

\Ve  offer  lago,  then,  as  Shakespeare's  conception  of  the 
"Evil  Principle."  And  how  perfect  the  creation!  In  the  whole 
course  of  his  crime  he  betrays  never  a  weakness,  never  a  check  of 
conscience  —  nothing  to  mar  the  elegant  symmetry  of  his  fiend- 
ishness.  From  the  time  he  lays  down  the  postulate  that  "I 
am  not  what  I  am"  till  he  attains  his  infernal  majority,  he  is 
the  same  refined,  pitiless,  sarcastic  devil.  He  is  often  surprised, 
but  he  is  never  disconcerted.  He  plans,  but  it  is  because  he 
likes  the  mental  exercise.  It  has  been  said  that  "deep  rogues 
take  all  their  villainy  a  priori;  that  they  do  not  construct  plans 
in  anticipation."  lago's  carefully  perfected  schemes  would 
seem  to  rebuke  this  philosophy  were  it  not  that  they  appear, 
rather,  meat  for  his  mind  than  directions  for  his  diabolisms. 
Indeed  it  is  in  those  unpremised  scenes  where  the  occasion 
fails  to  fit  his  plans,  where  all  the  odds  are  arrayed  against  him, 
that  he  achieves  the  greatest  triumph.  This  is  nothing  short 

*"y-."    '^/j?{   \  '  ^L'-' 

of  Stygian  skill,  and  it  is  just  here  that  he  attains  the  dignity 
of  a  devil.  That  dignity  would  have  been  sacrificed  in  his 
death.  By  all  the  principles  of  dramatic  tragedy  Othello  is 
his  fit  executioner.  Significant  fact!  we  are  only  promised 
that  his  "punishment  shall  torment  him  much  and  hold  him 
long."  This  is  to  appease  the  moral  demand,  and  in  its  vague 
ness  the  poet  seeks  to  avoid  a  decline  in  tragic  intensity.  This 
we  offer  as  the  ethical  and  aesthetical  reason  for  the  indefinite- 
ness  thrown  about  lago's  fate  by  the  dramatist.  He  had  pushed 
his  creation  to  the  verge  of  the  finite:  punishment  was  de 
manded,  none  could  be  devised  which  would  requite  him. 

The  full  course  of  tragedy,  the  mighty  evolution  of  its 
events,  must  yield  an  apt  sequence,  a  sublime  completeness,  else 
it  fails  in  its  aim.  Schiller  says,  "Life  is  great  only  as  a  means 
of  accomplishing  the  moral  law;  and  nothing  is  sublimer  than 
a  criminal  yielding  his  life  because  of  the  morality  he  has 
violated."  With  the  single  exception  of  lago,  Shakespeare 
has  availed  himself  of  this  principle.  The  Thane  of  Cawdor 


86  Winning  Orations. 

tops  all  his  murderers  with  his  own  head;  Lady  Macbeth 
bleaches  in  death  the  "damned  spot"  from  her  unclean  hand; 
Richard  III.  seals  with  his  own  blood  on  Bosworth  field  the 
sublime  in  his  career;  but  lago  is  just  beyond  the  reach  of 
death,  and  we  can  fancy  him  disappearing  in  the  darkness  of 
which  he  is  a  part. 

There  are  two  fitnesses  in  a  villain's  death  —  the  moral  fit 
ness  and  the  tragic  fitness.  The  one,  the  ethical  satisfaction 
at  the  inevitable  recoil  of  the  broken  moral  law;  the  other, 
the  grandeur  of  a  finale.  To  condense  into  one  moment  the 
whole  of  life,  to  put  a  fiat  on  existence,  to  engulf  a  soul  in  the 
awful  immensity  of  its  own  acts  —  this  is  sublime;  but  to  have 
conceived  and  brought  forth  a  being  so  super-physical,  so 
positively  devilish,  so  intensely  infernal,  that  his  death  would 
be  pathos  —  this  is  genius. 

And  this  lago.  The  polished,  affable^attendant;  the  boon 
companion;  the  supple  sophist,  the  nimble  logician;  the  phil 
osopher,  the  moralist,  the  scoffing  demon;  the  goblin  whose 
smile  is  a  stab,  and  whose  laugh  is  an  infernal  sneer;  who  has 
sworn  eternal  vengeance  on  virtufe  everywhere;  who  would 
turn  cosmos  into  chaos.  This  compound  of  .wickedness  and 
reason,  this  incarnation  of  intellect,  this  tartarean  basilisk,  is 
the  logical  conclusion  in  a  syllogism  whose  premises  are  "Hell 
and  Night."  He  is  a  criminal  climax;  endow  him  with  a  single 
supernatural  quality,  and  he  stands  among  the  devils  of  fiction 
supreme. 


MAHOMETANISM  AND  ITS  ENEMIES. 


By  J.  A.  BARBER,  of  Obcrlin  College. 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 

J.  A.  Barber  was  born  at  lona,  Michigan,  in  1855.  It  was 
at  the  age  of  twenty-two  he  graduated  from  Oberlin  College, 
Oberlin,  Ohio.  The  following  year  he  served  as  superintendent 
of  the  schools  at  St.  Marys,  and  then  located  in  Toledo,  and 
became  principal  gf  the  high  school,  resigning  at  the  end  of 
the  year  to  engage  in  the  study  of  law.  He  was  admitted  to 
the  bar  October  3,  1882,  and  has  since  been  actively  engaged 
in  the  practice  of  this  profession  with  great  success.  He  is 
now  prosecuting  attorney  of  Lucas  County.  The  oration,  on 
following  pages,  delivered  by  him  while  a  student  of  Oberlin 
College,  secured  to  him  the  second  prize  for  oratorical  excel 
lence. 


THE  ORATION. 

Delivered  at  the  Inter-State  Oratorical  Contest,  at  Iowa  City,  Iowa,  tak 
ing  second  prize.  Judges:  Prof.  \V.  H.  HARRIS,  General  GIBON,  and  others. 

The  progress  of  the  human  race  has  been  slow  but  sure. 
In  the  revolutions  of  human  activity,  principles,  institutions, 
and  religions  have  sprung  up,  fulfilled  their  mission,  and  fallen 
into  the  grave  of  buried  epochs. 

When  we  judge  of  a  factor  of  civilization,  reason  demands 
that  we  lay  aside  all  prejudice.  Neither  can  we  judge  by  the 
standard  of  our  own  age;  but  the  tribunal  before  which  every 
institution  must  be  tried  is  the  condition  of  the  human  race  at 
the  time  of  that  institution.  We  wish  to  examine  the  religion 
of  Mahomet  as  a  factor  of  human  progress,  and  it  is  our  purpose 
to  show  that  Mahometanism  has  had  a  beneficial  influence  upon 
mankind.  It  has  been  but  a  short  time  that  the  world  has  been 
fair  in  judging  the  true  character  of  Mahomet.  For  eleven 
centuries  men  looked  upon  him  as  a  cheat  and  imposter  and 

(87) 


88  Winning  Orations. 

an  enemy  of  mankind.  Now  all  the  greatest  and  most  candid 
writers  agree  that  Mahomet  stands  forth  as  a  sincere,  earnest, 
God-loving  man.  His  soul  longed  to  lead  his  people  to  a 
nobler  life.  In  like  manner,  the  writers  of  the  past,  blinded  by 
hate  or  prejudice,  have  denounced  Mahomet's  religion  as  a 
curse  to  human  happiness  and  a  barrier  to  human  progress. 
They  have  forgotten  the  good  in  his  religion,  and  the  good  it 
has  accomplished.  They  have  looked  only  at  its  evils,  and 
then  told  us  that  it  has  checked  the  progress  of  mankind. 
We  think  that  a  fair  examination  of  his  religion,  and  its  influ 
ence,  will  lead  us  to  agree  with  many  of  the  ablest  minds  of 
to-day  that  such  a  view  of  Mahometanism  is  wrong.  The 
religion  of  Mahomet  changed  the  destinies  of  the  world  for 
ever.  One-fifth  of  the  human  souls  that  have  lived  and  died 
upon  this  earth  for  the  last  twelve  centuries,  have  drawn  their 
inspiration,  their  happiness,  and  that  highest  and  most  divine 
of  all  earthly  joys  —  the  hope  of  an  immortal  life  with  an  eternal 
God  —  from  the  teachings  of  Mecca's  humble  prophet.  One 
hundred  and  eighty  millions  of  men  live  upon  the  earth  to-day 
whose  eternal  destiny  is  shaped  by  the  doctrines  of  the  camel- 
driver  of  Arabia.  This,  then,  is  the  problem:  in  the  divine 
order  and  harmony  of  the  world,  in  the  mysterious  laws  of 
human  progress,  has  the  birth  of  Mahomet,  upon  which  rests 
such  a  burden  of  human  destiny,  been  a  curse?  I  know  what 
the  truthful  believers  in  a  kind  and  loving  Providence  will  say. 
Impossible  that  one  man  could  determine  the  eternal  fortunes 
of  one-fifth  of  the  men  who  have  lived  for  twelve  centuries, 
were  it  not  to  wTork  for  the  highest  good  of  God's  creatures! 
They  will  tell  you  that  when  Mahomet,  hunted  by  his  enemies, 
stood  a  hated  and  helpless  prisoner  in  the  hands  of  the  officers 
of  Medina,  "when  the  lance  of  an  Arab  might  have  changed 
the  history  of  the  world,"  they  will  tell  you  that  something 
more  than  human  power  stayed  that  lance. 

But  I  wish  to  demonstrate,  by  the  laws  and  facts  of  progress, 
that  Mahometanism  has  had  a  beneficial  influence  upon  the 
world.  The  first  argument  that  the  enemies  of  Mahomet  bring 
against  his  religion  is  that  it  is  full  of  fundamental  errors,  and 
from  this  they  conclude  that  it  has  checked  human  progress. 
No  one  ever  held  that  the  religion  of  Mahomet  was  perfect. 
But  we  have  it  on  the  authority  of  all  great  minds  that  his 


Maho metanism  and  Its  Enemies.  89 

religion,  in  its  conception  and  grandeur,  stands  next  to  Chris 
tianity.  A  kind  of  Christianity,  says  Carlyle.  There  are  great 
and  grand  truths  in  the  religion  —  truths  which  appealed  to  the 
noblest  impulses  of  those  wild  Arabian  souls.  We  admit  that 
there  are  great  errors  in  his  system,  that  he  gave  his  sanction 
to  many  evils;  but  let  us  remember  that  Mahomet  found  these 
indulgences  practiced  unquestioned  from  the  time  his  race 
issued  from  the  caves  of  barbarism.  Have  men  denounced 
Solon's  laws?  They  were  not  perfect,  yet  they  were  the  best 
the  Athenians  could  receive.  Have  men  hurled  their  philippics 
against  Moses?  He  allowed  polygamy.  He  allowed  slavery. 
He  permitted  the  institutions  of  primitive  society.  He  did  not 
abolish  one  of  them;  he  could  not.  He  mitigated  their  evils. 
Mahomet  did  the  same.  He  could  not  unmake  the  manners 
of  his  people.  He  found  Arabia  steeped  in  spiritual  torpor. 
From  time  beyond  memory  the  night  of  sin  had  settled  around 
them.  His  morality  is  not  perfect;  yet  what  a  wonder  that  so 
grand  a  system  could  be  reared  in  twenty-five  years  upon  the 
ruins  of  one  of  the  basest  idol-worships  that  ever  stained  the 
annals  of  men.  So  far  as  the  logical  consequence  of  this 
objection  is  concerned  we  might  admit  it,  and  it  would  not 
prove  that  Mahomet's  religion  had  checked  human  progress. 
If  it  can  be  shown  that  his  religion  was  suited  to  the  condition 
of  the  times,  and  to  that  part  of  the  race  which  received  it,  it 
has  been  demonstrated  that  it  has  a  beneficial  influence  upon 
the  world.  In  the  most  glorious  epochs  of  ancient  civilization, 
when  the  human  mind  had  reached  as  high  a  development  as 
had  ever  been  equaled,  when  the  youth  flocked  to  the  schools 
of  philosophy  and  oratory,  when  the  muse  of  poetry  sang  her 
loftiest  strains,  and  the  theaters  echoed  with  the  beautiful 
conception  of  creative  minds,  at  that  very  time  the  streets  of 
all  the  cities  were  adorned  with  the  marble  and  the  temples 
of  heathen  gods.  Above  the  azure  vault  of  heaven,  Jupiter, 
Bacchus,  and  the  other  gods,  were  believed  to  be  reveling  and 
taking  part  in  human  passion  and  human  crime.  Yet  no  one 
ever  said  that  the  worship  of  Jupiter  was  detrimental  to  ancient 
civilization.  It  formed  a  bond  of  union,  without  which,  Max 
Mueller  says,  society  cannot  exist.  It  formed  a  stepping-stone 
of  human  progress.  It  was  the  only  religion,  which,  in  that 
condition  and  part  of  the  world,  could  stir  the  highest  impulses 


90  Winning  Orations. 

of  men.  Thus,  when  we  judge  of  the  influence  of  Mahometan- 
ism,  we  must  discuss  not  the  creed  of  Mahomet,  but  whether 
it  suited  the  times  and  people  that  received  it. 

The  second  argument  that  the  enemies  of  Mahometanisrn 
bring  to  show  that  it  hindered  human  progress  is,  that  it  entered 
Christian  ground  and  hindered  Christianity.  I  know  that  the 
Christian  religion  had  to  give  up  the  cradle  of  its  infancy;  and 
when  it  became  known,  "a  nerve  was  touched,"  as  Gibbon  says, 
"which  vibrated  to  the  heart  of  Europe."  Let  us  go  back  to 
our  tribunal  to  weigh  this  argument  —  the  condition  of  the 
times.  Palestine  was  bounded  by  the  fire-worshipers  and  the 
star-worshipers.  Christianity  had  failed  to  weaken  the  idolatry 
of  those  savage  millions.  The  Christian  religion  itself,  in  the 
East,  had  become  paganized.  In  the  dark  night  of  superstition 
and  sin,  it  had  fallen  into  a  state  of  corruption  and  idolatry. 
For  six  centuries  Christianity  held  its  sway  in  the  East.  What 
is  the  uniform  testimony  concerning  its  results?  It  had  ceased 
its  rapid  conquest.  It  had  fallen  into  superstition  and  sin. 
Star-worship  and  fire-worship  were  unchanged.  Hallam,  the 
least  enthusiastic  of  writers,  testifies  that  society  had  sunk  into 
the  depths  of  ignorance;  that,  "in  the  shadows  of  this  universal 
ignorance,  a  thousand  superstitions,  like  foul  animals  of  night, 
were  propagated  and  nourished."  If,  in  the  light  of  such  facts, 
it  is  said  that  Mahomet's  religion  entered  Christian  ground, 
we  reply  in  the  language  of  Milman,  a  great  and  candid  writer, 
that  Islam  was  better,  far  better  than  the  idolatrous  forms  of 
Christianity  which  it  supplanted.  It  is  said  that  his  religion 
hindered  Eastern  progress;  we  answer  in  the  words  of  Hallam, 
that  "Mahometanism  is  the  only  form  of  religion  that  has 
proved  itself  suited  to  the  nations  of  the  East."  How  in  the 
light  of  history  can  we  fling  upon  Mahomet  the  charge  of  hin 
dering  Eastern  progress?  Are  all  other  nations  of  the  world 
progressive  save  those  under  his  religion?  Can  a  religion 
which  teaches  the  unity  of  God,  which  teaches  temperance 
and  chastity,  which  teaches  the  divine  principles  of  benevo 
lence  and  prayer,  check  the  progress  of  society?  The  worship 
of  Jupiter  and  Bacchus  did  not  hinder  ancient  civilization,  yet 
how  wrong  was  that  worship  compared  with  the  teachings  of 
Mahomet.  Historians  tell  us  that  Eastern  society  is  what  it 
was  in  the  time  of  Solomon,  what  it  was  in  the  time  of  Abraham. 


Mahometardsm  and  Its  Enemies.  91 

Oriental  society  has  been  non-progressive.  The  Chinese,  the 
most  advanced,  are  as  stationary  as  the  pyramids  of  Egypt. 
We  can  see  but  one  answer  to  the  non-progressiveness  of  the 
East  —  it  is  the  nature,  nature,  nature  of  the  race. 

We  will  now  support  the  affirmative  of  this  line  of  argument 
—  that  the  human  race  has  been  made  happier,  because  Ma 
homet,  by  something  more  than  human  power,  issued  from  the 
caravans  of  the  desert  to  shape  the  fortunes  of  Ishmael's  sons. 
We  argue  that  Mahometanism  has  been  beneficial,  first,  because 
it  was  a  mighty  reform.  Generations  and  ages  rolled  into  obliv 
ion,  and  the  wild  Bedouins  of  the  desert  had  remained  un 
noticed.  For  ages,  of  which  the  pen  of  the  historian  can  never 
write,  the  sun  had  risen  upon  the  wandering,  warring,  robbing 
tribes  of  the  Arabian  wastes.  They  had  never  dreamed  of  that 
sublimest  of  truths  —  there  is  but  one  God.  They  had  never 
enjoyed  that  most  divine  of  all  earthly  joys  —  the  hope  of  an 
immortal  life  with  an  immortal  God.  They  had  never  drawn 
a  breath  save  under  the  basest  idol-worship.  Poor,  savage, 
half-human,  half-brutish  creatures!  But  they  were  not  always 
to  be  so.  In  the  words  of  Voltaire,  the  turn  of  Arabia  came. 
Mahomet  in  his  boyhood  days  had  learned  of  God.  He  longed 
to  raise  his  people  from  the  night  of  sin,  and  to  lead  them  to  a 
nobler  life.  He  could  not  reveal  to  them  such  a  religion  as 

o 

the  voice  of  Judea  proclaimed  six  hundred  years  before.  But 
such  a  religion  as  could  come  from  his  rude,  untutored,  fervent, 
God-loving  soul,  he  gave  them.  "Destroy  your  idols.  Cast 
off  your  blasphemous  idolatry.  Ye  are  mocking  God.  God  is 
great.  He  made  us  all.  He  guards  us  and  cares  for  us.  Serve 
him.  He  alone  is  good.  He  only  has  power  to  save."  This 
inspired  their  wild  souls  with  enthusiasm.  They  began  a  career 
of  progress,  and  there  was  inaugurated  one  of  the  greatest 
reforms  that  ever  shook  the  affairs  of  men.  If  you  prefer  to 
hear  on  this  point  the  greatest  prose  writer  that  now  lives,  he 
will  tell  you  that  "to  the  Arab  nation  it  was  a  birth  of  dark 
ness  into  light.  Arabia  first  became  alive  by  means  of  it; 
glancing  in  splendor  and  the  light  of  genius,  Arabia  shines 
through  long  ages  over  a  great  section  of  our  world." 

Again,  we  argue  that  Mahometanism  has  been  a  beneficial 
factor  of  civilization,  because  its  mission  seemed  to  be  de 
manded  by  the  condition  of  the  times.  We  have  seen  how 


92  Winning  Orations. 

Christianity  has  fallen  from  its  state  of  primitive  purity.  It 
had  become  paganized.  Heathen  rites  had  been  introduced. 
In  the  East  were  seen  men  bowing  to  images,  as  heathens  do  to 
their  heathen-gods.  The  whole  Eastern  world  was  immersed 
in  ignorance  and  superstition.  The  Church  was  torn  with  dis 
cords  and  dissensions.  Yes,  long  before  the  "Sermon  on  the 
Mount"  had  ceased  its  rapid  conquest,  such  was  the  state  of  the 
Christian  nations.  All  the  rest  of  the  world  was  in  idolatry. 
Where  was  there  hope?  Mahomet  comes.  He  offers  them  a 
sublime  monotheism.  He  offers  them  a  religion  which  teaches 
temperance  and  charity,  a  religion  of  prayer,  "a  really  spiritual 
religion."  The  Saracen  sword  demonstrated  the  majesty  of 
God,  and  one-fifth  of  the  race  was  saved  from  the  worship  of 
gods  of  wood  and  stone.  Thus  it  was  suited  to  the  condition 
of  the  times.  I  would  like  to  give  the  opinion  of  Milman  on 
this  point:  "Islam  is  entitled  to  disdain  the  vulgar  polytheism 
of  the  East,  the  fire-worship  of  Persia,  or  either  the  depraved 
forms  of  Judaism  and  Christianity." 

We  argue,  lastly,  that  Mahomet's  religion  has  made  the 
world  happier,  because  it  gave  a  powerful  impetus  to  the 
growth  of  the  human  mind.  One  writer  charges  Mahomet 
with  making  progress  a  crime;  yet  for  five  hundred  years  the 
excessive  brilliancy  of  Arabian  learning  dimmed  the  radiance 
of  all  the  rest.  Throughout  the  most  inglorious  period  of  the 
world's  history  they  held  up  the  torch  of  learning  to  humanity. 
If  we  can  only  get  before  our  minds  that  "inconceivable  cloud 
of  ignorance"  which  overspread  the  whole  face  of  the  world; 
if  we  can  only  see  how  strong  a  connecting  link  between  the 
old  civilization  and  the  new,  Arabian  learning  was,  we  shall 
know  how  much  this  argument  weighs.  They  roused  the  world 
of  its  sleep  of  ages,  unshackled  the  human  soul,  and  gave  a 
new  impulse  to  progress.  It  was  the  Arabs  who,  during  the 
darkest  ages  of  Europe's  history,  summoned  the  muses  of 
poetry  and  history.  It  was  the  Arabs  who  turned  the  philoso 
phy  of  Plato  and  Aristotle  and  the  great  minds  of  ancient 
civilization  into  new  channels  of  progress.  In  the  science  of 
astronomy  they  excelled  every  nation  that  had  ever  inhabited 
the  earth.  They  invented  the  sciences  of  chemistry  and  al 
gebra.  All  candid  minds  agree  that  Arabian  learning  gave  a 
wonderful  impetus  to  the  human  intellect.  Throughout  the 


Mahometanism  and  Its  Enemies.  93 

Saracen  Empire  the  streets  of  all  the  cities  were  adorned  with 
colleges  and  school-houses.  Schools  of  philosophy  and  science 
dotted  portions  of  all  continents  then  known. 

In  the  light  of  all  this,  in  the  light  of  history,  in  the  light 
of  human  reason,  can  we  conclude  with  the  enemies  of  Ma 
homet,  that,  in  that  final  tribunal  before  the  bar  of  God,  one- 
fifth  of  the  men  who  have  lived  since  the  year  600  will  rise  up 
to  curse  Mahomet  as  an  eternal  barrier  to  human  happiness? 
.Although  we  may  not  understand  why  the  Saracen  sword 
glittered  in  the  once  fairest  portion  of  our  earth;  although  we 
may  not  understand  why  the  blazoned  banners  of  the  Moslems 
waved  over  the  birthplace  of  the  Christian  religion,  why  the 
columns  of  Mahometan  mosques  now  cast  their  shadows  over 
so  large  a  section  of  the  world;  although  we  may  long  to  see 
the  spires  of  the  Christian  church  towering  among  those  nations 
of  the  East;  although  we  may  long  to  see  the  time  when  the 
posterity  of  the  wise  men  of  the  East  shall  again  be  guided  by 
the  Star  of  Bethlehem,  when  the  religion  of  Jesus  shall  be  pro 
claimed  from  the  altars  of  Mahometan  mosques  —  yet,  after 
all,  would  it  not  be  better  to  conclude  with  Richelieu,  the  old 
white-haired  cardinal  of  France  — 

"Come,  let  us  own  it:  there  is  One  above 
Who  sways  the  harmonious  mysteries  of  the  world?" 


POE. 


By  L.  C.  HARRIS,  of  Iowa  College. 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 

L.  C.  Harris  was  born  June  17,  1857,  at  Grinnell,  Iowa.  His 
early  education  was  obtained  in  the  Grinnell  high  school,  and 
later  he  entered  Iowa  College,  which  is  also  located  at  Grin 
nell.  While  in  college  he  entered  the  contest  for  oratorical 
honors,  and  with  his  oration  on  "Foe"  he  was  triumphant. 
After  leaving  college  he  entered  the  law  department  of  the 
Iowa  State  University,  completing  the  course  in  1882.  In  the 
fall  of  the  same  year  he  went  to  Dakota  to  engage  in  the  law 
and  real  estate  business,  and  settled  in  La  Moure  County.  He 
resided  here  one  year  when  he  was  elected  register  of  deeds 
and  county  clerk,  which  position  he  held  until  the  1st  of  Jan 
uary,  1889.  Mr.  Harris  is  now  practicing  law,  and  is  county 
attorney  for  La  Moure  County.  He  is  an  efficient  officer,  as 
an  evidence  of  which  he  has  been  engaged  in  public  work  for 
several  years,  and  is  a  man  of  many  admirable  qualities. 


THE  ORATION. 

Delivered  at  the  Inter-State  Oratorical  Contest,  at  Oberlin,  Ohio,  May, 
1880,  taking  first  prize.  Judges:  Hon.  THOMAS  A.  HENDRICKS,  Messrs. 
OWEN,  BRAND,  and  others. 

There  have  appeared  at  different  stages  of  the  world's 
history  minds  so  anomalous  in  their  nature,  so  totally  at  vari 
ance  with  those  surrounding  them,  so  unnatural  and  equivocal 
in  their  construction,  that  they  have  seemed  more  like  errant 
spirits  from  the  world  beyond  than  those  possessing  the  attri 
butes  and  propensities  of  common  mortals. 

Prominent  among  the  names  in  this  strange  order  of  beings 
occurs  that  of  Edgar  Allan  Poe.  He  combines  in  a  remarkable 

(94) 


Poe.  95 

degree  two  elements  of  mind  seldom  found  united-  analysis 
and  imagination.  These  form  the  ground-work  of  his  genius; 
they  are  the  source  of  his  wonderful  power.  No  two  faculties 
could  be  more  opposite  in  their  effects.  Their  union  in  him 
gives  to  many  of  his  subjects  the  effect  of  what  can  only  be 
expressed  by  the  contradictory  phrase  of  the  spiritually  material. 
He  treats  the  most  ideal  themes  in  the  most  realistic  manner. 
He  is  both  poet  and  mathematician.  He  conceives  with  all 
the  vividness  of  the  former,  but  he  reasons  with  all  the  coldness 
and  precision  of  the  latter.  He  is  living  fire  hedged  in  with  ice. 
He  reduces  the  wildest  play  of  passion  to  the  most  exact  order, 
lie  unites  the  severest  logic  to  the  most  exuberant  fancy;  the 
heat  of  passion  to  the  coldness  of  reason. 

A  too  close  observance  of  the  poetical  and  ideal  part  of  his 
nature  has  gained  for  him  the  appellation  of  dreamier.  He  luis 
his  moods  of  abstraction,  but  he  is  not  the  typical  dreamer.  His 
piercing  acuteness,  his  minuteness  of  detail,  his  subtle  distinc 
tions,  his  refined  reasonings,  all  separate  him  from  the  purely 
meditative  mind.  The  dreamer  is  passive;  Poe  is  active.  The 
dreamer  diffuses  his  faculties;  Poe  concentrates  them.  The 
dreamer  revels  in  the  mysterious;  Poe  will  have  nothing  to  do 
with  it,  only  as  he  can  explain  it.  The  dreamer  surrenders 
himself  to  contemplation  and  reverie,  till  his  own  individuality 
is  lost  in  that  of  the  objects  around  him;  Poe  never  loses  him 
self  in  his  abstraction  —  he  is  most  keenly  alive  when  most 
absorbed. 

Mark  the  contrast  between  the  strength,  clearness,  and  pre 
cision  of  his  intellectual,  and  the  wild  disorder  and  disease  of 
his  moral  and  aesthetic,  faculties.  He  naturally  possessed  deli 
cate  perceptions  and  refined  sensibilities.  But  what  do  we  find 
in  his  tales?  A  nature  attuned  to  the  harmonious  and  the 
beautiful,  reveling  in  all  that  is  discordant  and  hideous;  a 
mind  intoxicated  by  the  fiendishness  of  its  own  creations,  in 
dulging  all  that  is  self-destructive;  all  the  natural,  genuine 
emotions  of  the  heart  blighted  and  turned  awry;  hope  driven 
into  the  icy  caves  of  despair;  joy  banished  into  rayless  caverns 
of  gloom;  poetic  fervor  turned  into  maniacal  fury;  feeling 
frozen  into  frenzy;  smiles  withered  into  sneers.  In  fine,  the 
impression  produced  by  these  weird  compositions  is  that  of  a 
demon  mounting  to  a  throne  of  evil  eminence  on  the  wreck  of 


96  Winning  Orations. 

all  that  is  pure  and  beautiful;  and,  having  attained  it,  gazing 
down  with  fiendish  glee  upon  the  ruins  below.  The  diseased 
condition  of  his  mind  we  see  manifested  in  the  unnatural  de 
light  he  seems  to  take  in  dwelling  on  the  subjects  of  death  and 
decay.  In  one  of  his  tales  he  says:  "I  have  imbibed  the 
shadows  of  the  falling  columns  of  Tadmor,  Balbec,  and  Per- 
sepolis,  till  my  very  soul  has  become  a  ruin."  That  is  it.  It 
is  always  beauty  and  grace  dethroned;  shattered  columns, 
crumbling  walls,  and  tottering  arches;  the  lingering  smile  on 
the  lips  of  death;  the  false  and  treacherous  bloom  on  the  feat 
ures  of  disease;  "the  gilded  halo  hovering  round  decay" — it  is 
all  these  that  his  morbid  fancy  seizes  upon  with  such  greedy 
avidity. 

He  cares  nothing  for  mere  external  objects  only  as  they 
excite  his  emotions.  Therefore  he  always  chooses  such  sub 
jects  as  are  suggestive  of  melancholy  and  sadness.  He  ever 
represents  love  as  in  the  icy  clutches  of  death  —  not  that  he- 
may  show  his  affection  for  the  dead,  but  rather  as  a  means  of 
gratifying  his  abstract  love  of  grief.  He  has  a  morbid  craving 
for  unnatural  sensations.  He  feeds  on  mockeries.  He  taunts 
himself  with  the  hopelessness  of  his  despair,  and  takes  a 
strange  delight  in  this  process  of  self-torture.  His  most  in 
tolerable  anguish  is  his  keenest  joy;  the  more  painful  his  emo 
tion,  the  more  pungent  his  pleasure;  the  greater  his  grief,  the 
more  delicious  his  sorrowr. 

But  how  shall  we  account  for  this  perversion  of  his  nature? 
That  a  mind  should  indulge  in  all  that  is  self-destructive,  that 
the  very  order  and  nature  of  things  should  be  reversed,  that  out 
of  cosmos  should  come  chaos,  and  out  of  beauty  hideousness, 
seems  a  moral  antithesis  — inexplicable.  The  explanation  of 
this  apparent  contradiction  is  to  be  found  in  a  peculiar  ten 
dency  of  his  nature  —  his  morbid  habit  of  introspection. 

Hawthorne,  the  profounde.st  moral  philosopher  that  Amer-  . 
ica  has  ever  produced,  has  said,  that  of  all  the  practices  in 
which  a  mind  may  indulge  this  one  of  introspection  is  the 
most  pernicious.  Poe  is  a  slave  to  it.  His  eyes  are  ever  turned 
inward  to  a  "heart  gnawed  with  anguish."  Here  within  this 
spiritual  laboratory  he  dissects,  analyzes,  watches.  He  notes 
each  passing  breath  of  emotion.  He  catches  each  fluctuating 
shade  of  feeling.  He  studies  with  painful  minuteness  the 


Poe.  97 

creeping  sensations  of  crime,  guilt,  sin,  and  remorse.  He 
pursues  with  nervous  intensity  the  darkest  thoughts  as  they 
steal  stealthily  through  the  chambers  of  the  heart.  He  loves 
to  see  the  delicate  tendrils  of  the  soul  quiver  with  agony 
or  pulsate  with  joy.  And  it  was  this  process  of  critical  self- 
analysis,  this  peering  into  the  inmost  recesses  of  the  soul,  this 
cold,  analytic  dissecting  of  an  emotion  as  the  anatomist  would 
a  nerve,  this  lying  in  wait  for  the  play  of  passion,  this  trailing 
a  thought  through  all  its  tortuous  windings  —  it  was  this  that 
shattered  Poe's  sensibilities  and  dulled  his  perceptions.  His 
characters  are  but  the  logical  sequence  of  this  intense  subjec 
tive  tendency  of  his  mind.  In  none  of  them  can  there  be 
found  a  complete  and  harmonious  blending  of  all  the  elements 
of  mind  and  soul.  They  are  simply  the  incarnations  of  a 
thought;  mere  abstractions  of  crime  and  guilt,  frenzy  and 
despair,  clothed  with  flesh  and  blood.  All  their  sympathy, 
love,  and  fear  is  absorbed  by  a  single  animating  principle. 
They  have  but  little  to  link  them  to  humanity,  and  possess 
more  in  common  with  the  denizens  of  hell  than  with  the  in 
habitants  of  earth. 

The  many  conflicting  tendencies  found  in  Poe  would  seem 
to  almost  justify  a  belief  in  the  duality  of  mind.  He  was  a 
strange  compound  of  opposites,  a  curious  blending  of  harmon 
ies  and  discords.  In  him  "fire  and  frost  embrace."  At  times 
he  was  mild,  gentle,  and  affable;  again,  fierce,  passionate,  and 
moody.  Now  he  would  be  charming  or  electrifying  a  circle  of 
friends  by  his  wonderful  eloquence;  and  now,  sitting  apart  in 
some  secluded  retreat,  muttering  to  himself  in  dismal  mono 
logues.  One  moment  holding  you  enraptured  by  his  visions 
of  wondrous  beauty;  the  next,  chaining  you,  petrified  with 
terror,  among  his  dismal  phantasms,  built  up  in  forms  of 
"gloomiest  and  ghastliest  grandeur."  To-day  soaring  away 
into  the  far-off  realms  of  imagination;  to-morrow  wandering 
in  the  gloomy  labyrinths  of  his  own  soul.  "At  night  the  hero 
of  a  drunken  debauch;  in  the  morning  a  wizard  of  song,  whose 
weird  and  fitful  music  was  like  that  of  the  sirens." 

Poe  has  often  been  called  the  Byron  of  America.  In  many 
respects  they  are  similar.  Both  are  egotistical,  passionate, 
arrogant;  both  have  a  morbid  love  of  melancholy,  gloom,  and 
death;  both  are  the  victims  of  passion  and  diseased  self-con- 


98  Winning  Orations. 

templation.  Poe  resembles  Byron  in  his  ethical,  but  not  in  his 
mental,  qualities.  Byron  is  powerful,  vigorous,  synthetic;  Poe 
is  subtle,  acute,  analytic.  Byron  has  broader  comprehension; 
Poe  has  keener  perception.  Byron  treats  of  individuals;  Poe 
only  of  principles.  Byron  is  more  objective;  Poe,  more  sub 
jective.  Byron  broods  over  his  wrongs;  Poe  analyzes  his  emo 
tions.  Byron  dwells  upon  his  sorrows  with  morbid  self-pity; 
Poe  dissects  his  with  frenzied  pleasure.  Byron  was  driven  into 
his  own  consciousness  by  forces  from  without;  Poe  entered  his 
more  from  innate  necessity.  Byron  is  not  only  conscious  of 
self,  he  feels  the  gaze  of  the  whole  world;  Poe  forgets  the  out 
ward  in  his  intense  concentration  on  the  inward. 

In  other  points  they  stand  in  closer  relations,  but  still  remain 
apart.  Byron  is  cynical,  sullen,  morose;  Poe  is  gloomy,  sor 
rowful,  despondent.  Byron  is  a  misanthrope;  Poe  is  a  hypo- 
cjipndriac.  Byron  wages  war  with  all  mankind;  Poe  is  ever 
contending  with  the  elements  of  his  own  nature.  Byron  has 
but  little  of  idealism;  Poe  has  nothing  of  sensualism.  Byron 
has  more  of  human  sympathy;  yet  Poe  has  less  of  scorn  and 
sarcasm.  Byron's  passions  come  hot  and  seething  from  the 
heart;  Poe's  are  as  cold  as  intellect  itself.  Byron  crushes  all 
sentiment  and  feeling;  Poe  reverses  them.  Byron  seems  like 
a  "mocking  devil,  laughing  at  the  world  in  rhyme;"  Poe  like  a 
scoffing  demon,  exulting  in  his  own  fiendishness. 

This,  then,  is  Poe  —  the  saddest,  loneliest  figure  in  all  liter 
ature;  who  gave  the  cypress  to  love,  and  the  myrtle  to  death; 
who  sounded  the  lowest  depths  of  wretchedness  and  laughed 
at  his  own  misery;  who  made  of  life  a  living  death,  and  chanted 
the  requiems  of  despair  over  the  dead  hopes  of  his  own  soul. 
The  melancholy  and  gloom  in  which  he  enshrouded  himself 
has  tinged  with  sadness  all  that  he  has  written  or  said.  No 
Ode  to  the  Nightingale  or  Skylark  from  Poe — his  was  to  the 
sable-winged  Raven,  the  type  of  his  sorrow.  He  was  ever 
pursued  across  life's  stage  by  the  passions  of  his  nature,  like 
Orestes  fleeing  the  Furies;  and  he  will  ever  hold  a  place  in  the 
memory  of  men  rather  for  what  he  might  have  been,  than  for 
what  he  was.  Goethe  has  been  called  the  poet  of  the  universe; 
Byron,  the  poet  of  the  individual;  but  Poe  is  the  poet  of  the 
soul. 


THE  EVOLUTION  OF  GOVERNMENT. 


By  RICHARD  YATES,  of  Illinois  College. 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 

Richard  Yates  was  born  at  Jacksonville,  Illinois,  December 
12,  1860.  In  1873,  at  the  age  of  thirteen,  he  entered  Whipple 
Academy,  the  preparatory  school  for  Illinois  College,  and  three 
years  later  entered  the  college.  The  first  year  in  college  he 
received  the  prize  at  the  annual  declamation  contest;  second 
year  he  was  chosen  delegate  to  the  Illinois  inter-collegiate 
contest,  held  at  Lebanon,  and  was  there  elected  president  pro 
tern,  of  the  association.  He  ever  manifested  particular  attention 
to  these  contests,  and  on  various  occasions  took  prizes,  the 
most  auspicious  being  the  inter-State  contest,  at  Oberlin,  Ohio, 
May,  1880,  when  he  was  awarded  a  gold  medal  as  second  prize 
on  his  oration,  "The  Evolution  of  Government."  He  graduated 
in  1880  with  the  degree  of  bachelor  of  arts,  and  three  years 
later  received  the  degree  of  master  of  arts.  The  first  summer 
after  leaving  college  .he  was  engaged  as  city  editor  of  the 
Jacksonville  Journal.  In  the  fall  he  entered  the  law  department 
of  the  University  of  Michigan,  at  Ann  Arbor,  joining  the  Phi 
Delta  Phi,  and  becoming  vice  president  of  the  national  council 
of  the  fraternity.  At  the  expiration  of  the  first  year  he  dis 
continued  his  law  studies  and  resumed  the  newspaper  work. 
In  1883  he  returned  to  the  law  school,  completed  his  studies, 
and  was  admitted  to  the  Michgan  bar  in  April,  1884;  two 
months  later  he  was  licensed  by  the  Supreme  Court  to  practice 
in  Illinois,  establishing  an  office  at  Jacksonville.  In  1885  he 
was  appointed  city  attorney  by  the  mayor  and  city  council, 
re-appointed  in  April,  1886,  and  at  the  close  of  his  second 
term,  a  change  in  the  law  having  made  the  office  elective,  he 
was  unanimously  nominated  and  elected  by  the  Republicans, 
and  re-elected  in  1889.  He  has  filled  every  office  in  the  Young 

(99) 


1OO  in /i /ting  Orations. 

Men's  Republican  Club  of  Morgan  County;  was  one  of  the 
nine  delegates  from  Illinois  to  the  first  national  convention,  at 
New  York;  was  chosen  delegate  to  the  State  convention  in 
1881;  and  in  1890  was  delegate  to  the  legislative,  congress 
ional,  and  State  conventions.  He  has  been  tuice  urged  to 
become  a  candidate  for  the  legislature  and  once  for  county 
judge,  but  each  time  refused.  It  may  be  said  Mr.  Yates  is  a 
born  politican.  His  father  was  a  member  of  the  Legislature 
of  Illinois  from  1842  to  1850,  a  member  of  the  United  States 
House  of  Representatives  from  1850  to  1854,  was  Governor  of 
Illinois  from  1860  to  1865,  and  United  States  Senator  from  1865 
to  1871;  he  died  at  St.  Louis,  Missouri,  November  27,  1873. 
His  mother,  who  still  survives,  remains  his  pride  as  when  a  boy. 
Mr.  Yates  is  a  member  of  the  Round-Table  Literary  Society, 
a  Knight  of  Pythias,  a  Mason,  a  Knight  Templar,  and  an  Odd 
Fellow;  he  was  a  member  of  the  Morgan  Cadets,  Company  I, 
Fifth  Regiment,  Illinois  National  Guard,  remaining  a  private 
throughout  his  term  of  enlistment,  from  1885  to  1891.  He  is 
a  consistent  member  of  the  Young  Men's  Christian  Association, 
and  the  Grace  Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  In  1888  Mr.  Yates 
married  Miss  Helen  Wadsworth,  a  very  estimable  young  lady. 


THE  ORATION. 

Delivered  at  the  Inter-State  Oratorical  Contest,  at  Oberlin,  Ohio,  May, 
1880,  taking  second  prize.  Judges:  Hon.  THOMAS  A.  HENDRICKS,  Messrs. 
OWEN,  BRAND,  and  others. 

Throughout  all  Christendom  to-day  scientists  are  zealously 
discussing  the  laws  and  principles  of  evolution.  It  is  consid 
ered  an  established  proposition,  that  from  everlasting  to  ever 
lasting,  in  the  heavens,  upon  the  earth,  and  throughout  the 
entire  universe,  there  is  constant  change,  growth,  and  improve 
ment.  The  same  great  principle  has  unerringly  held  good  in 
the  history  of  the  nations.  From  the  time  when  mankind  first 
realized  the  necessity  of  association  for  mutual  benefit,  a  stead}' 
growth  and  improvement  have  constantly  been  taking  place  in 
the  science  of  human  government.  First  barbarism  held  sway 
both  in  the  East  and  West.  Ancient  India,  China,  Arabia, 
Gaul,  and  Britain,  were  simply  races  of  the  rudest  barbarians. 
Then,  after  the  lapse  of  centuries,  the  second  form  of  govern- 


The  Evolution  of  Government.  10 1 

mental  association  was  achieved.  As  men  began  to  be  more 
attracted  together,  and  commenced  to  build  immense  cities 
and  dwell  fraternally  in  large  communities,  some  restraining, 
governing  power  became  necessary,  able  or  ambitious  leaders 
began  to  exercise  their  talents,  and  to  assert  their  privileges, 
and  the  issue  was  despotism — the  system  under  which  Persia, 
Egypt,  and  the  far-famed  empire  of  the  Montezumas  reached 
their  climax  of  civilization.  Next,  the  transitory  republics  of 
Greece  and  Italy,  with  their  more  advanced  systems  of  politics 
and  their  more  liberal  institutions,  for  a  time  redeemed  the 
world  from  the  gloom  that  had  been  spread  over  it,  only  to  fall 
from  their  high  estate  and  to  plunge  into  deeper  despair  the 
well-wishers  of  mankind.  But  although  the  failure  of  Grecian 
and  Roman  Republicanism  recalled  to  some  extent  the  old 
order  of  things,  men  were  not  so  tractable  as  before;  and  un 
able  longer  to  endure  the  oppressive  exactions  of  a  system  so 
unjust  as  despotism,  they  effected  the  formation  of  the  more 
limited  monarchies  of  the  Middle  Ages.  As  time  passed  on 
the  condition  of  politics  was  still  more  favorably  changed,  and 
the  way  was  prepared  for  the  monarchies  of  modern  times, 
such  as  Germany,  Austria,  Italy,  and  Russia,  all  of  which  are 
great  in  many  elements  of  national  stability.  And  finally,  ris 
ing  from  the  foundation  laid  when  the  Magna  Charta  of  1215 
was  wrested  from  King  John,  the  British  Empire  is  seen  pursu 
ing  its  career  of  glory — the  home  on  every  continent  of  freedom- 
loving  men,  the  arbitrator  of  the  world's  affairs,  the  greatest 
and  grandest  of  European  nations  —  the  model  monarchy  of 
history. 

Meanwhile  the  lovers  of  perfect  liberty  had  not  been  idle, 
and  all  over  Europe  republican  forms  of  government  had 
sprung  into  being.  But  these  republics,  established  by  men 
unaccustomed  to  the  taste  of  the  sweets  of  liberty,  inhabited 
by  peoples  to  whom  political  freedom  seemed  a  dream  and  not 
a  reality,  permeated  with  time-honored  respect,  and  even  rev 
erence  for  rank  and  title  —  these  republics,  in  which  aristocracy 
and  love  of  fame  and  pride  of  name  still  held  a  firm  footing, 
were  far  from  that  perfection  to  which  the  science  of  govern 
ment  must  in  the  end  attain.  However,  in  the  fullness  of  time 
the  grand  result  of  this  evolution  was  to  be  reached.  Barbar 
ism  had  accomplished  its  mission.  Despots  and  kings  had 


102  Winning  Orations. 

satisfied  their  ambition  upon  the  thrones  of  the  world,  and  the 
world  itself  was  ripe  for  a  new  and  more  advanced  form  of 
government  for  the  people.  But  nowhere  in  Europe  or  in  Asia 
could  a  land  be  found  whereon  to  erect  the  fabric  of  this  new 
and  mighty  empire;  and  nowhere  was  a  people  to  be  found 
over  which  to  build  it,  and  into  whose  keeping  to  commit  it. 
The  Power  that  dwells  above,  seeing  His  creatures'  need, 
prepared  a  land  for  this  new  nation,  and  sent  out  over  the 
waters  to  discover  it  one  greater  than  Noah.  The  land  was 
found  —  a  continent  of  imperial  grandeur,  destined  to  become 
the  home  of  an  imperial  confederation  of  States.  A  people  to 
inhabit  this  realm  was  providentially  prepared.  Fleeing  from 
persecution,  they  gladly  sought  and  settled  its  shore,  and  in 
due  time  the  new  nation  came  forth  revealed  to  the  world  —  an 
actual  fact.  It  was  indeed  a  prophetic  coincidence,  that,  at 
that  very  moment  when,  as  Carlyle  says,  "The  French  kingship 
was  perishing  in  the  death  of  Louis  XV.,  the  most  Christian 
King,"  the  dying  monarch's  closing  ears  were  saluted  by  muffled 
sounds  borne  across  the  Atlantic  —  sound  new  in  our  centuries. 
For  behold,  a  Pennsylvanian  Congress  gathers,  and  ere  long, 
on  Bunker  Hill,  Democracy  announces,  in  death-winged  rifle- 
volleys,  that  she  is  born,  and  whirlwind-like  will  envelop  the 
world! 

Granting  that  there  is  an  evolution  in  government,  and  that 
it  has  been  sufficiently  demonstrated  in  its  progress  in  history, 
we  cannot  escape  the  conviction  that  our  republic  is  the  grand 
culmination  of  this  evolution.  True,  some  declare  that  every 
nation  and  form  of  government  has  its  period  of  existence,  and 
that  just  as  Greece,  Rome,  and  Judea  fell  from  their  mighty 
power  and  lofty  position;  just  as  republicanism  has  again  and 
again  proved  a  failure  in  France;  just  as  Germany,  that  gave 
to  the  church  Martin  Luther,  and  to  literature  John  Gutenberg, 
is  wasting  away  by  the  oppressions  of  a  haughty  nobility  and 
a  tyrannical  ministry;  while  Italy,  the  land  of  Dante  and  of 
Michael  Angelo,  is  also  decaying;  just  as  every  civilization 
known  to  humanity  has  gone  down  at  the  end  of  an  existence 
of  about  five  centuries.  The  day  will  some  time  come  when 
the  United  States,  and  with  them  the  republicanism  in  which 
we  glory,  shall  fall  a  prey  to  the  diseases  of  political  senility, 
and  finally  be  stricken  from  the  face  of  earth.  This  assertion 


The  Evolution  of  Government.  103 

we  may  confidently  attempt  to  refute.  Greece,  unrivaled  in 
the  beauty  of  her  poetry,  the  profundity  of  her  logic,  the 
grandeur  of  her  philosophy,  and  in  all  the  excellence  of  her 
literature,  fell  because  she  had  exhausted  the  idea,  that  phil 
osophy  alone  was  essential  to  man's  well-being.  Rome,  un- 
equaled  in  jurisprudence  as  she  was  in  martial  prowess,  fell 
only  when  she  had  exhausted  the  two-fold  theory  of  Law  and 
War  as  being  necessary  to  the  full  attainment  of  true  manhood. 
Judaism  was  founded  upon  the  idea  of  religious  symbolism, 
and  owed  its  fall  to  the  fact  that  it  had  exhausted  that  idea. 
So  also  republicanism  in  France  was  indebted  for  its  many 
failures  to  the  fact  that  republican  France  always  speedily  be 
came  infidel  France,  and  that  the  Goddesses  of  Liberty  and 
Reason  always  held  sway  there  together  whenever  the  inspir 
ing  strains  of  the  Marseillaise  had  roused  the  French  patriots 
to  another  effort  for  freedom. 

With  the  American  nation  it  has  always  been  different. 
Our  fathers  began,  as  it  were,  just  where  other  nations  left  off. 
It  was  divinely  ordained,  that  the  founders  of  this  republic 
should  be  men  of  transcendent  intellect,  of  finished  education, 
of  cultured  conscience,  of  refined  sentiments  —  true  noblemen. 
Never  in  history  did  a  nation  start  with  so  much  intelligence, 
so  much  culture,  so  much  conscience,  as  inspired  the  American 
colonies  to  battle  for  their  independence.  Other  struggles  for 
liberty  have  taken  place.  Leonidas  had  withstood  the  hosts  of 
Persia  at  Thermopylae;  but  he  fought  for  local  freedom.  Tell 
had  opposed  Gesler;  but  it  was  for  the  sake  of  his  native  can 
ton.  Cromwell  had  resisted  his  king;  but  the  revolution  led 
by  Cromwell  in  the  seventeenth  century  was  a  war  against  a 
dynasty,  and  was  inspired  by  selfish  motives  unworthy  an 
Fnglishman.  But  the  American  revolution  was  not  for  limited 
or  local  freedom  —  it  was  for  all  men.  And  all  that  preceded 
that  struggle  was  but  tributary  to  that  event.  The  exhaustion 
of  the  various  theories  of  Grecian,  Roman,  and  Jewish  politics; 
the  demonstration  of  the  insufficiency  of  imperial  individualism 
for  the  moral  culture  and  elevation  of  humanity;  the  plain 
proof  that  the  union  of  Church  and  State  has  been  a  failure  in 
the  past  -all  these  facts  tend  but  to  show  that  a  government 
wholly  of,  for  and  by  the  people;  a  body  politic  which  should 
secure  to  the  greatest  number  the  greatest  good;  a  nation 


104  Winning  Orations. 

whose  fundamental  maxim  should  be  the  golden  rule  of  Chris 
tian  ethics:  "Do  unto  others  as  you  would  have  them  do  unto 
you" — that  such  a  nation,  the  heir  of  all  ages,  should  be  the 
result  of  the  grand  evolution  of  government. 

Such  a  nation  now  exists,  the  noblest  of  republics;  and 
there  can  be  no  doubt,  that  if  there  is  to  be  still  further  ad 
vancement  in  governmental  science,  the  issue  will  be  a  model 
republic  upon  American  soil,  and  that  model  republic  —  the 
grand  culmination  of  centuries  of  struggling  for  civil,  political, 
and  religious  liberty  —  will  be  the  United  States  of  America; 
the  nation  whose  attributes  are  illustrious  lineage,  vast  terri 
torial  domain,  royal  power,  rare  intelligence,  perfect  liberty, 
religious  toleration,  pure  morality,  and  the  glory  of  disting 
uished  deeds.  May  we  not  hope,  that  as  age  after  age  rolls 
into  the  aby^  of  the  past,  and  generation  after  generation 
takes  its  stand  and  acts  its  part  in  the  stupendous  drama  of 
history,  each  shall,  in  characters  of  living  light,  write  its  name 
higher  and  higher  upon  the  temple  of  fame,  and  urge  on  the 
final  triumphs  of  universal  liberty  and  universal  truth! 


THE  PHILOSOPHY  OF  SCEPTICISM. 


By  CHARLES  F.  COFFIN,  of  DePauw  University. 


Delivered  at  the  Inter-State  Oratorical  Contest,  at  Jacksonville,  Illinois,  May, 
1881,  taking  jirsLprize.  Judges:  Mr.  DYER,  Hon.  EDWARD  P.  KIRBY,  H.  F.  CAR- 
RIEI.,  M.  D! 

}  It  has  been  justly  said,  that  the  shadow  of  riches  is  poverty, 
the  shadow  of  power  is  slavery,  the  shadow  of  virtue  is  vice; 
with  equal  justice  it  may  be  said  that  the  siia_dnw_Df.  belief 


England  had  her  Jeremy  Taylor  and  her  David  Hume; 
France  had  her  Pascal  and  her  Voltaire;  America  has  her 
Joseph  Cook  and  her  Robert  Ingersoll. 

How  does  it  occur,  and  what  does  it  mean,  that  these  two 
great  intellectual  forces  are  so  often  found  together?  Does  it 
mean  that  they  are  related  a.sxau,se  and  effect?  Does  it  mean 
that  faith  can  be  purchased  only  by  paying  the  fearful  price  of 
:i_S£epticism?  With  such  vital  questions  as  these  confronting 
us,  it  is  of  the  highest  importance  that  we  examine  candidly 
the  relation  oL_Sce£ticjsm  to  Theology, 

As  a  common  ground  "from  which  to  reason  and  to  which 
refer,"  it  will  perhaps  be  admitted  that  law  prevails  in  the 
realm  of  mind  no  less  than  in  the  realm  of  matter,  and  that 
mental  phenomena  no  less  than  physical,  should  be  interpreted 
in  the  light  of  rational  principles. 

For  no  general  phase  of  human  thought,  whether  it  relate 
to  government,  to  philosophy,  or  to  religion,  ever  sprang  spon 
taneously  into  being;  but  every  current  theory  of  state,  even- 
doctrine  of  modern  philosophy,  every  tenet  of  modern  theology, 
is  the  outcome  of  the  slow  and  toilsome  growth  of  ages.  And 
each  in  turn  represent  centuries  of  human  thought,  centuries 
of  human  experience,  centuries  of  human  suffering.  If  over 
the  soil  of  fair  America  to-day  a  proud  republic  waves  her  flag, 
it  is  because  out  of  the  terrible  conflict  of  the  past,  out  of  the 

(105) 


io6  Winning  Orations. 

tyrannies  of  despots  and  the  rebellions  of  the  oppressed,  out  of 
the  decay  of  states  and  the  disasters  of  revolutions,  there  was 
born  and  flourished  in  human  consciousness  the  idea  of  self- 
government.  If  the  philosophy  of  to-day  is  broad  and  deep 
and  rational,  it  is  because  it  is  the  quintessence  of  the  yearn 
ings  and  the  strugglings  which,  since  the  dawn  of  history,  have 
impelled  the  human  mind  to  search  for  the  unknown.  And 
just  so,  I  take  it,  is  scepticism  the  -outgrowth  of  certain  ante 
cedent  mental  forces  which  may  be  ascertained  and  classified, 
just  as  the  forces  which  produced  the  Protestant  Reformation, 
the  French  Revolution  or  the  American  Rebellion  may  be  as 
certained  and  classified.  The  demonstration  of  this  involves 
a  consideration  of  the  law  of  human  growth,  the  method  of 
human  progress.  In  this  man  differs  widely  from  nature.  In 
Nature  there  are  no  epochs;  no  conflicts  between  the  conserva 
tive  and  the  radical.  She  has  no  revolution,  no  reformation. 
The  shuttle  of  her  mighty  loom  moves  incessantly  to  and  fro, 
and  now  she  weaves  a  rose,  and  now  a  lion,  and  now  a  man; 
but  all  is  quiet,  gradual,  uniform. 

With  man,  progress  has  been  a  ceaseless  conflict  between 
the  radical  tendencies  of  thought  and  the  conservative  tenden 
cies  of  institutions;  between  the  gradual  unfolding  of  human 
consciousness  and  the  stubborn  fixedness  of  the  organic  forms 
of  civilization.  Indeed,  human  progress  is  not  unlike  a  volcanic 
eruption.  For  a  long  while  the  open-mouthed  mountain  stands 
out  against  the  sky  a  dead,  harmless  mass  of  rock  and  earth. 
Yet  down  in  the  subterranean  caverns,  at  its  base,  the  volcanic 
fires  roll  and  hiss  and  sputter,  till  at  last,  no  longer  able  to  be 
confined,  they  rush  forth  in  ungovernable  fury.  The  sky  is 
first  reddened  with  flame,  then  darkened  with  clouds  of  ashes, 
rivers  of  molten  lava  pour  over  the  country,  devastating  fields 
and  destroying  cities.  So  human  thought,  smothered  by  op 
pression,  goes  on,  dimly  defined  and  unexpressed  in  the  great 
brain  of  humanity,  till  by  a  coincident  development  of  like 
thoughts  and  tendencies,  like  passions  and  feelings,  it  breaks 
out  and  defiantly  laughs  conservatism  and  tyranny  to  scorn. 
Old  institutions  are  suddenly  swept  away;  old  modes  of  thought 
are  discredited.  The  wheels  of  the  human  chariot,  deep  in  the 
rut,  are  lifted  out  and  placed  on  a  new  highway.  New  relations 
arc  formed,  new  institutions  are  created;  and  these  in  turn 


The  Philosophy  of  Scepticism.  107 

become  the  conservators  of  past  development  and  the  barriers 
to  future  progress,  till  another  crisis  comes  and  another  revolu 
tion  solves  the  problem. 

The  human  mind  is  so  constituted,  that,  when  compelled  by 
external  or  arbitrary  power  to  bide  any  extreme  of  thought, 
sooner  or  later  it  will  escape  from  the  bonds  of  authority,  and 
on  the  principle  of  the  equality  of  action  and  reaction,  rush  to 
the  opposite  extreme.  What  was  Voltaire?  He  was  a  reaction. 
What  was  David  Hume?  He  was  a  reaction.  What  is  Robert 
Ingersoll?  He  is  a  reaction.  These  men,  sceptics  though  they 
are,  and  censure  them  as  we  may,  are  nevertheless  martyrs  to 
the  inexorable  law  of  their  own  being,  and  the  irresistible  laws 
of  human  progress.  They  are  to  a  great  extent  created  and 
destroyed  by  their  own  environment.  And  so  long  as  progress 
shall  be  by  revolutions,  it  will  have  its  victims,  its  brutalities,  its 
social  and  intellectual  ostracisms,  its  smoking  stakes,  its  clank 
ing  chains,  and  its  times  of  fire  and  blood. 

It  is  in  the  light  of  human  history,  and  in  the  light  of  the 
psychological  law  of  reaction,  that  scepticism  is  largely  trace 
able  to  the  antagonism  between  man's  religious  consciousness 
and  his  religious  institutions — I  may  say,  between  the  progres 
sive  tendency  of  the  religious  spirit  which  is  in  man  and  the 
conservative  tendency  of  his  theology.  For,  while  most  of  the 
great  sciences  have  been  studied  with  almost  perfect  freedom, 
and  have  been  open  to  perpetual  revision,  theology  has,  to  a 
great  extent,  been  studied  in  fetters.  The  students  of  the 
other  sciences  have  sought  facts,  their  use,  their  meaning,  their 
law;  they  have  acknowledged  no  pre-established  standards; 
they  have  been  bound  by  no  traditions;  they  have  employed 
no  Procrustean  beds  on  which  to  torture  ideas.  Reluctant  as 
we  may  be  to  admit  it,  so  much  can  scarcely  be  claimed  for 
theology  as  a  science.  It  has  frequently  resisted  all  growth 
and  development  of  its  creeds.  The  aim  of  theologians  has  too 
often  been  not  so  much  to  express  the  highest,  the  freshest, 
and  the  purest  religious  thought  of  a  particular  age,  as  to  form 
ulate  a  system  of  theology  which  should  be  final,  to  establish 
some  external  standard  by  which  theories  of  ethics  and  forms 
of  doctrine  could  be  tested  as  by  some  mechanical  process. 
The  result  is  inevitable.  Sooner  or  later  a  conflict  arises  be 
tween  thought  and  dogma.  Doctrines  are  still  avowed  and 


io8  Winning  Orations. 

defended  that  are  so  unsatisfactory  to  right  reason,  and  so  far 
behind  the  development  of  man's  religious  nature,  that  think 
ing  men  are  repelled  from  the  church,  and  are  led  to  doubt,  to 
criticise,  to  deny.  Therefore  it  is  in  this  conflict  between  the 
conservative  spirit  of  theology  and  the  progressive  tendency 
of  religious  thought,  and  also  in  the  fear  of  the  church  to  allow 
the  human  mind  full  sweep  in  its  investigations  and  inquiries, 
that  we  find  the  genesis,  the  philosophy  indeed,  of  scepticism. 

Having  diagnosed  the  disease,  do  we  pronounce  it  fatal, 
is  there  yet  hope?  Must  scepticism  continue  to  be  the  skulk 
ing  shadow  of  belief?  continue  to  darken  the  lives  and  future 
anticipations  of  so  large  a  part  of  humanity?  Is  it,  and  must 
it  ever  be,  as  the  great  essayist  has  said,  the  very  "Nemesis  of 
faith?  "  Or  may  not  we  expect  to  see  this  grim  monster  vanish 
before  the  enduring  light  of  truth? 

Listen  to  the  answer  borne  on  the  winds  from  all  parts  of 
the  earth:  Yes,  there  is  hope.  In  the  name  of  sturdy  Ger 
many,  there  is  hope.  In  the  name  of  brilliant  France,  there  is 
hope.  In  the  name  of  modern  India,  Africa,  and  Japan,  there 
is  hope.  In  the  name  of  the  God  of  Nations,  there  is  hope. 

But  the  remedy  for  scepticism  must  be  based  on  the  nature 
of  its  cause.  Theologians  must  abandon  the  cherished  idea  of 
a  final  system  of  theology.  So  long  as  there  is  an  undiscovered 
fact  in  the  universe,  so  long  as  human  nature  is  subject  to 
growth,  so  long  as  there  are  imperfections  in  the  human  mind, 
there  can  be  no  government  of  man  wholly  by  rule,  there  can 
be  no  law  which  does  not  admit  of  a  doubt  in  its  application; 
and  concerning  the  Beyond,  there  can  be  no  creed  which  pre 
cludes  the  possibility  of  change.  In  the  march  of  the  finite 
towards  the  infinite,  there  can  be  no  halting-place  till  humanity, 
"Above  the  l^w-hanging  clouds,  like  mountain-peaks  that  look 
forever  into  the  face  of  the  clear  blue  heavens,  and  gaze  on  the 
unsetting  stars,  shall  look  up  into  the  face  of  the  Divine  and 
dwell  among  principles  that  are  unchangeable  and  eternal." 

Furthemore,  the  church  must  throw  wide  open  the  doors  of 
free  inquiry.  Nothing  is  more  fatal  to  error,  and  more  service 
able  to  truth,  than  investigation.  And  nothing  so  protects 
error  and  so  hinders  truth  as  the  fear  and  suppression  of  in 
vestigation.  The  brave  men  who  are  willing  to  bear  the  pain 
of  honest  thought,  must  often  sacrifice  their  prejudices  and 


The  Philosophy  of  Scepticism.  109 

have  great  havoc  made  with  their  fondly  cherished  illusions. 
But  there  can  be  no  permanent  value  in  a  false  position. 
Though  a  temple  be  builded  as  broad  as  the  earth  and  as  high 
as  the  heavens,  and  though  its  vaulted  dome  glitter  with  all 
the  wealth  of  Ormus  and  of  Ind,  yet  if  its  foundations  be  in 
the  sand,  the  "eternal  movements  of  the  Divine  floods  will 
sometime  undermine  it  and  sweep  it  away." 

The  fatal  mistake  made  by  the  Roman  church  was  the  sup 
pression  of  individual  thought.  It  granted  no  liberty.  It  en 
couraged  no  freedom.  It  shut  the  Bible.  It  imprisoned  the 
mind.  It  scowled  upon  invention  and  discovery  with  a  baleful 
and  malignant  eye.  And  although  the  reformation  broke  the 
power  of  this  absolute  intellectual  tyranny,  and  started  the 
swell  of  a  revolutionary  wave  which  broke  only  when  its 
agitated  waters  kissed  the  peaceful  shores  of  liberty-loving 
America,  yet  so  thoroughly  was  the  very  atmosphere  permeated 
with  the  spirit  of  intolerance,  that  to  the  present  day  there  is 
more  or  less  of  a  conflict  between  the  men  of  science  and  the 
men  of  religion. 

Until  this  discordant  element  is  cast  out;  until  the  free 
reading  of  the  book  of  nature  is  accompanied  by  the  free 
reading  of  the  Book  of  God,  the  voice  of  the  scoffer  and  of  the 
sceptic  will  not  be  hushed.  America  stands  in  the  front  rank  to 
day,  guarding  the  very  outposts  of  religious  freedom,  and  with 
anxious  vision  she  gazes  toward  the  citadels  of  Europe,  and 
with  bated  breath  she  asks:  Watchman,  what  of  the  night? 
She  cannot  mistake  the  answer:  Lo!  the  morn  appeareth. 
Christian  men  are  occupying  the  posts  of  the  enemy.  Christian 
men  sweep  the  star-sown  fields  of  space  with  their  telescopes, 
and  know  of  a  truth  that  "The  heavens  declare  the  glory  of 
God."  Christian  men,  with  hammer  and  microscope,  study 
the  mysteries  of  the  rocks  and  the  wonders  of  the  deep.  The 
church  is  beginning  to  "prove  all  things."  With  an  army  of 
trained  thinkers  in  her  service  —  with  her  Lotzes,  her  Presenses, 
her  Cooks,  and  her  Hopkinses  —  she  is  pushing  her  investiga 
tions  in  every  direction  and  into  every  province  of  thought. 
She  is  rapidly  pushing  her  way  up  through  the  clouds  of 
prejudice  and  superstition,  through  the  mists  of  error  and 
ignorance,  to  the  lofty  heights  of  Christian  scholarship,  from 
which,  with  purified  vision,  she  can  sweep  across  the  whole 


1 10  Winning  Orations. 

realm  of  thought,  and  view  things  in  their  right  positions  and 
true  relations.  As  Savage  says,  she  is  beginning  to  understand, 
that,  "just  as  all  life,  whether  it  reveals  itself  in  the  viscous 
globule  that  palpitates  in  primeval  seas,  in  the  lichen  that 
creeps  over  the  rocks,  up  through  all  the  ascending  forms  of 
plant  and  animal,  till  you  reach  the  infinitely  involved  brain  of 
a  Newton,  solving  a  problem  in  calculus" — has  its  source  in 
the  one  creative  God  of  the  universe;  and  so  all  truth,  whether 
it  be  the  Vedas  of  Brahmin,  the  Koran  of  Mohammed,  or  the 
Bible  of  the  Christian;  whether  it  be  on  the  banks  of  the 
Ganges  or  the  Jordan,  in  the  valley  of  the  Tigris  or  the  Nile, 
it,  too,  is  from  God.  When  these  grand  conceptions  shall  be 
realized  in  human  consciousness  —  and  they  will  be  —  when 
faith  and  reason  shall  join  hands,  and  call  upon  the  Author  of 
All  Truth  to  sanctify  the  union-  and  they  will  do  so  —  then 
may  we  expect  the  progress  of  man  to  become  like  the  growth 
of  nature.  Revolutions  will  no  longer  call  for  the  sacrifice  of 
-human  blood.  If  a  dogma  shall  become  obsolete,  or  a  consti 
tution  cease  to  express  the  will  of  the  people,  change  will  no 
longer  mean  the  marshaling  of  armies  on  the  field  of  battle;  it 
will  no  longer  mean  the  carnage  of  Austerlitz  and  Waterloo, 
of  Bunker  Hill  and  Yorktown.  It  will  no  longer  mean  the  be 
heading  of  Charles  I.,  or  the  assassination  of  Alexander  II., 
but  the  old  will  be  merged  into  the  new  as  quietly  as  an  Arctic 
summer  night  breaks  into  dawn;  as  peacefully  as  "the  summer 
blooming  of  the  flowers,  or  the  sudden  softening  of  the  air." 
Religious  institutions  will  grow  with  the  growth  and  expand 
with  the  expansion  of  man's  moral  and  religious  nature. 
Scepticism,  robbed  of  the  very  soil  in  which  to  sow  its  seed, 
specter-like,  shall  vanish  away;  and  by  the  side  of  tyranny, 
oppression,  and  intolerance,  it  shall  lie  down  to  its  eternal 

doom  — 

"Unwept,  unhonored,  and  unsung." 


PROGRESS,  ITS  SOURCES  AND  ITS  LAWS. 


By  OWEN  MORRIS,  of  Carleton  College. 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 

Hon.  Owen  Morris,  of  St.  Paul,  Minnesota,  was  born  on 
the  1 2th  day  of  August,  1858,  in  Anglesey,  Wales.  He  at 
tended  the  national  school  in  his  native  land.  When  ten  years 
of  age  he  came  with  his  parents  to  America,  and  settled  near 
Mankato,  Minnesota.  Here  he  attended  the  common  schools. 
While  very  young  he  took  several  prizes,  at  Welsh  Eisteddfods, 
for  compositions  and  recitations.  In  1874  he  entered  the  pre 
paratory  department  of  Carleton  College,  Northfield,  Minne 
sota,  and  in  1881  graduated  from  that  institution  with  the 
degree  of  bachelor  of  arts.  In  1884  he  received  the  degree  of 
master  of  arts.  While  at  college  he  mainly  supported  himself 
by  working  for  his  board.  In  1881  Carleton  College  first  entered 
the  oratorical  association.  The  entry  was,  as  it  were,  at  the 
last  hour,  necessarily  limiting  the  time  for  preparation.  On 
the  night  of  April  28th  Mr.  Morris  was  awarded  first  prize  at 
the  home  contest;  on  the  very  next  night,  the  first  prize  at  the 
inter-collegiate  contest;  and  on  May  4,  at  Jacksonville,  Illinois, 
at  the  inter-State  contest,  the  second  prize,  but  receiving  the 
vote  of  one  out  of  the  three  judges  for  first  place.  Up  to  this 
time  Carleton  College  through  him  enjoys  the  distinction  of 
being  the  only  institution  in  the  State  which  has  taken  a  prize 
at  an  inter-State  contest.  In  1882  he  was  elected  to  represent 
Blue  Earth  County  in  the  Minnesota  Legislature  for  the  years 
1883  and  1884.  In  1882  he  also  entered  the  office  of  the  late 
Hon.  Gordon  E.  Cole,  Faribault,  Minnesota,  as  a  law  student; 
was  admitted  to  the  bar  on  an  examination  in  the  Supreme 
Court  in  1885,  and  on  January  I,  1886,  became  partner  of  Gen 
eral  Cole,  at  St.  Paul,  and  continued  in  that  relation  until  Mr. 
Cole's  death.  He  is  unmarried,  lives  with  his  widowed  mother, 
and  enjoys  a  fair  and  increasing  practice. 

(in) 


112  Winning  Orations. 


THE  ORATION. 

Delivered  at  the  Inter  State  Oratorical  Contest,  at  Jacksonville,  Illinois,  May, 
1881,  taking  second  prize.  Judges:  Mr.  DYER,  Hon.  EDWARD  P.  KIRBY,  II.  F. 
CARRIEL,  M.  D. 

From  the  very  beginning  of  human  society  two  of  its  most 
important  forces,  Radicalism  and  Conservatism,  have  waged  a 
bitter  warfare.  Social  and  moral  advancement  only  furnishes 
them  different  questions  for  debate,  and  new  battlefields  on 
which  to  fight.  Time,  so  far  from  assuaging  the  conflict,  seems 
rather  to  aggravate  it.  Like  the  ceaseless  heaving  of  the 
ocean,  it  is  now  subdued  and  scarcely  discernible,  and  anon 
vehement  and  irrepressible,  agitating  the  social  mass  to  the 
very  core. 

Conservatism  is  peculiarly  sensitive  to  the  influence  of  an 
tiquity,  clings  tenderly  to  the  past,  and  sighs  for  the  purity  of 
the  fathers.  Dust-covered  volumes,  recording  the  valiant  deeds 
of  ancestors,  compose  its  library.  The  chambers  of  its  imagi 
nation  are  adorned  with  quaint  pictures  of  tournament.  Rusty 
casques  and  swords  decorate  its  halls.  By  its  endeavor  to 
control  religion  it  has  made  the  church  a  storehouse  of  abuses 
and  a  citadel  of  tyranny.  Occasionally  it  may  have  checked 
the  muddy  stream  of  Error.  Far  oftener  it  has  damned  the 
crystalline  river  of  Truth,  and  doomed  the  world  for  ages  to 
the  drouth  of  gloomy  superstition.  It  chills  enthusiasm,  dreads 
the  future,  and  appeals  to  custom  and  selfishness,  rather  than 
to  righteousness  and  truth.  Without  self-sacrifice,  it  yet  sacri 
fices  self. 

Radicalism,  on  the  other  hand,  is  opposed  to  everything 
that  is  tainted  with  antiquity,  and  is  impetuous  and  extrava 
gant  in  all  its  actions.  It  fights  against  authority,  despises 
custom,  and  makes  the  end  to  sanction  the  means.  To-day  a 
peace-maker,  it  condemns  carnage  and  war;  to-morrow  a  de 
mon,  it  may  overshadow  Bartholomew's  Day,  or  deluge  another 
Palestine  with  the  blood  of  rash  fanatics.  It  is  a  madness  that 
would  go  through  oceans  of  blood  merely  to  satisfy  its  caprice 
concerning  ideal  right.  It  hurls  contempt  on  principles  which 
have  been  vindicated  before  Caesar's  judgment-seat  and  avowed 
at  the  stake.  The  fanatical  votary  of  Quixotic  change,  it  vio 
lates  shrines  by  its  polluting  touch.  Disregarding  the  warnings 


Progress,  Its  Sources  ai;d  Its  Laivs.  113 

of  experience,  it  plunges  headlong  into  the  terrible  whirlpool 
whose  flood  but  hastens  it  to  certain  ruin.  Here  are  the  two 
conflicting  forces  —  the  one  as  the  mountain  torrent,  rushing 
into  the  fruitful  valley,  scattering  destruction  on  every  side; 
the  other,  as  the  stagnant  pool,  emitting  noisome  malaria  and 
destroying  every  form  of  life.  Both,  under  the  control  of  an 
all-wise  Providence,  mysteriously  unite  to  form  the  majestic 
and  ever-flowing  river  of  Progress. 

Philosophers  have  theorized  much  concerning  progress,  but 
their  theories  have  only  enveloped  it  in  greater  obscurity. 
Prejudiced  antiquaries,  viewing  the  subject  in  an  unfavorable 
light,  hold  that  there  is  no  such  thing  as  progress.  In  support 
of  their  views  they  cite  evidences  from  exhumed  cities,  seats 
of  culture  and  refinement  rivaling  those  which  are  the  pride 
and  glory  of  modern  civilization,  and  affirm  that  they  have 
searched  the  earth  in  vain  for  a  living  Homer  or  Plato,  a 
modern  Daniel  or  Paul.  They  see  the  present  plainly  with  all 
its  ruggedness  and  deformity,  its  harshness  and  discord;  but 
they  have  forgotten  that  time  has  erased  the  blots  from  the 
face  of  antiquity,  giving  it  a  brilliant  color,  and  subdued  its 
harshest  tones  into  a  mellow  murmur.  Let  them  use  for  a 
season  proud  Romes'  farm  implements,  as  described  in  the 
Georgics,  and  they  will  return  with  renewed  relish  to  their 
patent  plows,  seeders,  and  threshing  machines.  Let  them  take 
a  pleasure  voyage  in  one  of  Homer's  crooked-beaked  galleys 
which  crept  timidly  along  the  sea  coast,  and  they  will  be  proud 
to  embark  on  the  modern  soul-inspired  steamship.  We  may 
not  be  able  to  boast  of  a  prophet  like  Daniel,  or  an  apostle  like 
Paul,  yet  we  can  boast  that  we  have  outgrown  the  civilization 
which  tolerated  the  casting  of  the  one  into  the  lion's  den,  and 
the  staining  of  the  axe  with  the  other's  blood. 

Champions  of  lost  arts  are  behind  the  times.  Their  ideas 
are  ghosts  which  have  passed  the  termination  of  natural  life, 
and  yet,  like  the  mythological  Grecian  heroes,  wander  on  this 
side  of  the  impassable  river,  only  because  they  have  been  de 
nied  the  due  rites  of  burial.  In  the  darkest  periods  of  history, 
amidst  disappointment  and  opposition,  turmoil  and  anarchy, 
society  has  never  suffered  a  retrogression.  When  Truth  and 
Virtue  seemed  asleep,  when  Science  had  laid  down  her  tele 
scope  and  Philosophy  her  torch,  it  was  only  to  arouse  from 


114  Winning  Orations. 

their  slumbers  refreshed,  ready  to  pursue  with  renewed  vigor 
their  accustomed  path,  not  in  a  circle  toward  a  lost  excellence, 
but  directly  onward  toward  a  millennial  perfection. 

Healthy  progress  is  not  the  result  of  accident,  but  it  is 
governed  by  immutable  law,  and  moves  with  steady,  even 
revolution,  like  the  steam  engine  controlled  by  its  governor. 
The  growth  of  the  short-lived  mushroom  is  rapid  and  sickly, 
while  that  of  the  giant-limbed  oak,  which  endures  for  centuries^ 
is  by  slow  degrees.  It  was  not  the  few  hours  of  struggle  at 
Marathon,  at  Waterloo,  or  at  Gettysburg,  that  determined  the 
fate  of  nations.  The  real  arbiter  was  a  public  sentiment  pro 
duced  by  diligent  and  long-continued  preparation,  and  reach 
ing  its  culmination  in  these  sharp  and  decisive  contests.  "The 
first  furrow  drawn  by  an  English  plow  in  the  thin  soil  of  Ply 
mouth  was  truly  the  first  line  in  our  Declaration  of  Independ 
ence." 

During  the  infancy  of  the  race  physical  strength  was  the 
greatest  power.  The  highest  ambition  of  the  ancient  Greek 
was  to  be  victor  at  the  Olympic  games.  His  great  ideal  was 
a  Hercules  or  a  mighty  Zeuss.  The  human  body,  in  those  early 
days,  was  as  it  were  a  new  garment,  and  was  worn  for  a  long 
time,  sometimes  even  for  many  centuries  apparently  undam 
aged.  Now  it  is  an  old  vesture,  easily  torn,  and  scarcely  lasts 
"three  score  years  and  ten."  Yet,  through  the  rents  in  this 
mantle  of  flesh,  the  great  soul  within  sends  forth  its  light  upon 
the  path  of  invention  and  discovery,  and  asserts  itself  as  still 
the  lord  of  creation,  great  enough  for  nature  to  obey.  Instead 
of  the  ancient  throwing  of  javelins  and  wrestling  matches  we 
now  have  intellectual  contests.  Mind  triumphs  over  matter. 
Mind  duels  with  mind  on  the  field  of  investigation.  Mind 
compresses  the  whole  universe  into  a  circle  commensurate  with 
man's  stature,  and  there,  where  all  things  are  within  the  focus 
of  its  power,  transmutes  them  almost  to  its  own  spiritual  nature. 
At  the  present  day  physical  weakness  is  not  severely  censured, 
nor  is  physical  strength  especially  praised.  Men  do  not  cau 
tiously  shun  the  one  nor  passionately  seek  the  other,  while 
the  reproach  of  mental  debility  is  the  object  of  universal  dread. 
Formerly  might  be  seen  armed  Achilles  in  his  golden  chariot, 
while  Socrates,  bareheaded  and  barefoot,  plodded  his  way  in 
the  mud.  To-day  behold  the  prize-fighter  in  the  gutter,  while 


Progress,  Its  Sunn't's  and  Its  Laivs.  115 

the  Wcbstcrs  and  Carlylcs  are  enshrined  in  the  hearts  of  the 
people.  The  roll  of  honor  of  the  present  day  contains  only 
the  names  of  those  who  have  worked  out  the  grandest  problems 
of  human  progress,  and  given  the  greatest  impulses  for  good  to 
the  race,  and  of  those  noted  for  physical  strength  only  so  far 
as  they  have  exerted  it  in  vindicating  the  great  principles  of 
justice  and  right. 

Progress  is  nowhere  more  apparent  than  in  the  domains  of 
science,  philosophy,  and  religion.  Many  centuries  ago,  when 
man  was  but  a  school-boy  in  the  realm  of  science,  the  Creator 
asked  him  the  question,  "Canst  thou  send  lightnings  that  they 
may  go  and  say  unto  thee,  Here  we  are?"  and  his  puerile  reply 
was,  "Behold  I  am  vile,  what  shall  I  answer  thee?  I  will  lay 
my  hand  upon  my  mouth."  But  now,  since  man  by  rapid 
strides  has  left  the  alphabet  far  behind,  an  answer  to  that  ques 
tion  entirely  different  would  be  given.  The  great  Jehovah 
thrust  the  lightnings  in  his  hands,  and  he  sends  them  forth  as 
ministering  servants. 

Philosophy  may  be  as  old  as  Plato  in  form,  yet  its  method 
ical  application  dates  only  from  Bacon.  Induction  and  deduc 
tion  till  then  separated  joined  hands.  Fact  superseded  fancy, 
and  reason  was  hailed  as  supreme. 

Religion,  though  breathing  in  the  sacrifice  of  martyred  Abel, 
was  never  so  untrammeled  as  since  the  thunder  tones  of  the 
sixteenth  century  shattered  the  bulwarks  of  papal  power  and 
proclaimed  to  the  world  intellectual  and  moral  liberty. 

As  the  graduated  columns  along  the  banks  of  the  Nile  in 
dicated  the  elevation  of  the  waters,  so,  at  wide  intervals,  along 
the  river  of  progress,  there  are  such  names  as  Archimedes  and 
Newton,  Plato  and  Bacon,  Huss  and  Tholuck,  indicating  the 
tidal  rise  in  its  three  tributaries  —  science,  religion,  and  philos 
ophy. 

Now,  man  revels  in  a  wider  theatre  of  art  and  invention 
than  ever  before.  Fearless  of  Plato,  we  descend  into  his  dark- 
regions,  and  rob  the  earth  of  its  secrets.  Defying  the  forked 
lightnings  of  ancient  Jove,  we  scale  the  heavens  and  solve  their 
mysteries.  The  crude  philosophy  of  our  fathers  has  been  de 
veloped,  purified,  and  made  practical.  Freed  from  the  shackles 
of  ancient  thought  and  superstition,  it  is  handed  down  to  pos 
terity  an  improved  heritage.  The  Bible  has  become  our  charter 


Ii6  Winning  Orations. 

of  freedom.  Those  whom  armies  have  made  free  in  name  are 
now  taught  to  be  free  indeed.  Liberty,  sought  for  in  Egypt 
and  wept  for  in  Babylon;  honored  at  Marathon  and  disgraced 
at  Pharsalia;  liberty,  for  which  Demosthenes  pleaded,  Luther 
prayed,  and  Madame  Roland  died,  is  now  and  forever  trium 
phant.  Universal  equality  moves  on  to  bloodless  victories. 
Instead  of  the  mire  of  selfishness  we  have  the  clear  waters  of 
philanthropy  and  Christian  benevolence.  Such  are  the  present 
results  in  the  fields  of  science,  philosophy,  and  religion;  politics 
and  ethics  of  two  forces,  either  of  which  alone  would  have 
ruined  all  advancement.  The  future  will  be  still  brighter. 
The  morning  star  of  a  millennial  dawn  is  already  above  the 
horizon.  The  glorious  day  will  soon  appear,  when  all  shall 
enjoy  the  prerogatives  of  liberty,  virtue,  and  truth,  and  equality 
of  rights  shall  be  the  first  of  rights. 


THE  OLD  AND  THE   NEW  CIVILIZATIONS. 


By  FRANK  G.  HAXCHETT,  of  Chicago  University. 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 

Frank  G.  Hanchett  was  born  at  Kaneville,  Illinois,  October 
2,  1856.  He  attended  a  country  district  school  until  ten  years 
old,  after  which  time  until  sixteen  years  old  he  helped  his 
father  on  the  farm,  and  attended  school  three  months  each 
winter.  He  then  attended  the  village  school  at  Kaneville  two 
terms.  At  seventeen  years  of  age  he  entered  the  West  Aurora 
High  School,  graduating  June,  18/5,  in  which  year  he  entered 
th^  Chicago  University,  and  graduated  in  the  classical  course 
in  1882.  During  the  time  from  entering  the  preparatory  school 
until  graduating  he  taught  school  four  terms,  which  delayed 
him  considerably  from  completing  the  university  course  earlier. 
His  first  success  is  dated  at  the  sophomore  contest,  in  1880, 
when  he  delivered  an  oration  entitled  "Horatius  at  the  Bridge,' 
and  was  awarded  first  prize;  at  the  junior  contest,  in  1881,  he 
delivered  an  oration  entitled  "The  Jews,"  and  was  awarded  first 
prize.  In  the  fall  of  the  same  year  he  represented  Chicago 
University,  at  Bloomington,  Illinois,  in  the  inter-collegiate  con 
test,  delivering  an  oration  entitled  "The  Old  and  New  Civiliza 
tions,"  and  was  awarded  first  prize.  In  May,  1882,  at  the 
inter-State  contest  he  delivered  the  same  oration,  and  was 
again  awarded  first  prize.  In  1883  he  gratuated  from  the  law 
department  of  Iowa  State  University,  and  opened  a  law  office 
at  Aurora,  Illinois,  where  he  has  since  resided.  The  same  year 
he  married  Miss  Lizzie  L.  Scott,  of  Kaneville,  Illinois.  He  is 
still  an  active  member  of  the  Delta  Kappa  Epsilon  faternity, 
a  member  of  the  board  of  education  of  the  West  Aurora  public 
schools.  In  1888  Mr.  Hanchett  was  elected  State's  attorney  of 
Kane  County,  which  position  he  fills  with  great  credit.  He  is 
a  prominent  lawyer,  and  an  honored  citizen. 

(117) 


li8  Winning  Orations. 


THE  ORATION. 

Delivered  at  the  Inter-State  Oratorical  Contest,  at  Indianapolis,  Indiana, 
May,  1882,  taking  first  prize.  Judges:  Hon.  NOBLE  C.  BUTLER,  Judge  J.  S. 
FRAZER,  Rev.  OSCAR  C.  McCuLLoca. 

There  is  a  tendency  in  man  to  swing,  pendulum-like,  from 
extreme  to  extreme.  We  can  trace  it  from  the  individual  with 
his  hobbies  and  eccentricities,  to  the  masses  with  their  ever- 
varying  and  unreliable  public  opinion.  We  can  mark  it  in  the 
more  slow  and  steady  sweep  of  thought  from  century  to  cen 
tury,  and  from  age  to  age;  in  the  alternate  succession  of  days 
and  nights  of  civilization  —  dark  ages  and  golden  ages  of  light. 

It  is  this  tendency  in  man  that  accounts  for  the  two  opposite 
extremes  of  what  we  term  the  old  and  the  new  civilizations  — 
the  civilization  that  dazzled  the  world  with  the  Golden  Age  ol 
Greece;  and  the  civilization  of  which  the  nineteenth  century 
is  but  the  morning  light;  the  civilization  which  recognized  the 
spiritual  Plato  as  the  supreme  monarch  of  thought;  and  the 
civilization  which  crowns  the  practical  Bacon  as  the  greatest 
philosopher  of  the  world.  Eras  which  may  be  distinguished 
as  the  Age  of  the  Beautiful  and  the  Age  of  the  Useful. 

This  old  civilization  was  a  magnificent  garden,  in  which  the 
Beautiful,  the  Spiritual,  and  the  Ideal,  were  cultivated  with  the 
choicest  care,  and  in  which  the  Useful,  the  Material,  and  the 
Practical  were  rooted  out  as  rank  and  unsightly  weeds.  From 
this  well-tilled  soil  grew  and  blossomed  poetry,  from  whose 
fragrance  the  poets  of  all  ages  have  drawn  their  sweetness: 
eloquence,  whose  unrivaled  periods  still  ring  in  our  ears;  archi 
tecture,  which  has  ever  been  the  model  and  marvel  of  the 
world;  sculpture,  to  whose  divine  beauty  our  boasted  age  still 
b  AVS  in  admiring  worship. 

But  with  however  much  of  admiration  we  may  look  back 
upon  the  glorious  achievements  of  these  old  Greeks,  we  must 
still  admit  that  they  went  to  the  extreme  in  the  cultivation  of 
the  beautiful  and  the  neglect  of  the  useful.  Their  philosophers 
scorned  the  idea  of  debasing  their  knowledge  for  the  advance 
ment  of  the  useful  arts.  They  had  famous  sculptors,  but 
bungling  mechanics;  splendid  rhetoricians,  but  stupid  doctors; 
dreams  of  delightful  repose  in  the  Elysian  fields,  but  no  vulgar 
vision  of  spring  mattresses  on  this  side  of  the  Acheron!  Steam 


The  Old  and  the  New  Civilizations.  \  1 9 

might  have  lifted  the  lids  of  tea-kettles  before  the  eyes  of  these 
old  dreamers  for  endless  centuries,  but  railroads  would  still  be 
unknown.  To  their  imaginative  minds  the  thunder-bolt  told 
no  tale  of  the  telegraph,  but  was  the  rattling  of  Jove's  chariot- 
wheels  over  the  golden  pavements  of  heaven. 

In  the  fullness  of  time  there  came  into  the  fields  of  thought 
a  practical  husbandman,  Francis  Bacon,  who  was  not  satisfied 
with  mere  flowers^  which  however  beautiful  could  but  please 
and  adorn,  but  desired  "fruit,"  which  could  supply  the  more 
necessary  wants  of  man.  He  therefore  left  this  old  garden  of 
beauty,  and  in  far  broader  fields  scattered  the  seeds  of  a  philos 
ophy  which  was  destined  to  bring  forth  rich  harvests  of  use 
fulness.  The  fruits  of  this  great  philosophy  have  ripened  into 
what  we  call  the  practical  age  —  an  age  which  with  equal  pro 
priety  might  be  termed  the  age  of  miracles  —  an  age  in  which 
thought  busies  itself  with  the  great  problem  of  benefiting  the 
condition  of  man  —  an  age  in  which  the  hidden  secrets  of  God 
have  been  found  out  and  man's  powers  invested  with  the  powers 
of  omnipotence,  until  his  feeble  voice  has  been  made  to  echo 
across  continents  and  his  thoughts  to  pass  beneath  the  billows 
of  the  deep  —  an  age  in  which  the  petty  quibbles  of  metaphy 
sicians  are  accounted  secondary  to  the  great  inventions  that 
lessen  the  burdens  and  perplexities  of  life- — an  age  in  which  the 
poet  who  is  contented  with  picturing  the  outer  manifestations 
of  things  has  been  displaced  by  the  scientist,  who  delights  in 
searching  out  the  inner  secrets  of  the  universe.  But  nowhere 
have  the  glorious  triumphs  of  this  age  taken  more  practical 
form  than  in  the  modern  home,  which,  crowded  with  the  count 
less  comforts  and  conveniences  of  life,  is  a  veritable  heaven  in 
comparison  with  the  palatial  but  empty  abodes  of  the  Golden 
Age  of  Greece,  or  the  turreted  but  desolate  castles  of  the  sense 
less  age  of  chivalry.  In  fact,  the  nineteenth  century  is  one 
sublime  and  bewildering  panorama  of  practical  achievements. 

In  keeping  with  that  tendency  in  man  which  carries  him  to 
the  extreme,  we  observe  that  the  same  causes  which  have  pro 
duced  such  great  practical  achievements  have  also  produced  a 
practical  and  material  spirit  in  the  age,  which  tends  to  dwarf 
and  deaden  the  very  noblest  sentiments  in  man's  nature.  In 
the  fields  of  modern  thought  the  coarser  plants  of  material 
prosperity  have  so  overshadowed  the  more  delicate  flowers  of 


120  Winning  Orations. 

poetry  that  they  have  made  but  a  feeble  and  spindling  growth. 
This  spirit  of  the  age  would  prize  electricity  more  than  immor 
tality,  and  look  with  more  pleasure  upon  a  man-made  machine 
than  upon  a  God-inspired  sentiment.  It  is  a  significant  fact 
that  all  of  the  greatest  poets  lived  before  the  age  of  material 
prosperity;  that  the  genius  of  this  age  is  drifting  into  the  chan 
nels  of  trade,  and  instead  of  a  Shakespeare,  a  Milton,  or  a 
Raphael,  we  have  an  Astor,  a  Jay  Gould,  or  a  Vanderbilt;  that 
our  scientists  return  from  their  search  for  the  useful  in  the 
world  of  matter  with  their  eyes  spiritually  blinded.  These 
things  point  to  the  fact  that  our  practical  age,  with  all  its 
boasted  blessings,  by  absorbing  the  mind  with  the  baser  truths 
of  matter  is  disqualifying  it  for  the  higher  truths  of  the  spirit 
ual.  This  modern  materialism  has  swung  to  its  maddest  ex 
treme,  and  taken  its  most  definite  form  in  its  attack  upon 
religion.  Puffed  up  with  his  meagre  knowledge  of  one  small 
world,  little  man  attempts  to  prove  there  is  no  God  in  the 
great  universe.  We  are  told  that  man  has  no  soul,  that  immor 
tality  is  but  an  empty  dream,  and  religion  but  the  sickly  child 
of  ignorance  and  superstition.  Thus  would  our  age,  with  its 
material  clutch,  strangle  the  very  divinity  in  man  and  leave 
him  but  the  monarch  animal  of  the  world. 

Physical  science  is  the  idol  of  the  age,  and  the  man  who 
has  perchance  found  a  few  bird  tracks  in  some  antediluvian 
rock  is  an  illustrious  hero.  With  what  profound  wisdom  we 
have  discovered  that  the  first  horse  had  five  toes!  How  wise 
we  are  for  having  learned  that  there  are  90,000  species  of 
beetles,  and  possibly  more!  But  is  there  no  mental  science? 
Was  he  right  who  asserted  that  "as  the  liver  secretes  bile,  so 
the  brain  secretes  thought?"  "Can  the  scientist  lay  open  our 
moral  structure  with  his  dissecting  knives?" 

We  do  not  forget  that  our  age  "which  draws  its  water  from 
wells  that  are  sixty  centuries  deep,"  by  the  natural  laws  of 
progress,  is  in  the  advance  of  every  preceding  age;  but  we 
criticise  the  extremely  practical  and  material  tendency  of  our 
age,  which  has  produced  a  large  class  of  narrowly  practical 
men  —  men  who  see  utility  only  in  that  which  ministers  to  their 
immediate  and  physical  wants;  who  are  devoted  soul  and  body 
to  business,  for  the  transaction  of  which  they  have  become 
mere  machines;  who  consider  poetry  and  religion  as  fit  only 


The  Old  and  the  New  Civilizations.  12 1 

for  women  and  children;  men,  who  are  forever  crying  in  the 
language  of  Dickens's  Gradgrind,  "In  this  life  we  want  nothing 
but  facts,  sir,  nothing  but  facts;"  men,  whose  imaginations,  the 
wings  of  the  soul,  have  become  so  heavy  with  the  muo  of  the 
material  things  in  which  they  grovel,  that  they  can  never  soar 
into  the  lofty  regions  of  thought  where  man  asserts  his  kinship 
with  heaven,  and  suggests  that  he  has  an  immortal  soul.  Better 
be  a  philosopher  and  live  in  a  garret,  better  be  a  poet  and  an 
heir  to  poverty,  than  one  of  these  narrowly  practical  men  sur 
rounded  with  every  comfort  and  luxury  that  the  nineteenth 
century  can  offer. 

Thus  we  see  that  what  we  term  the  old  and  the  new  civiliz 
ations  have  been  the  extreme  developments  of  opposite  ideas. 

Happy  will  be  that  age,  if  it  may  ever  dawn  upon  the  world, 
when  the  central  ideas  of  these  two  civilizations  shall  be 
wedded  in  harmonious  equality,  when  the  love  of  the  beautiful 
and  the  love  of  the  useful  shall  each  have  its  designed  place 
in  the  symmetrical  development  of  man;  then  shall  he  have 
the  poet's  eye  to  see  all  the  varied  beauty  in  nature  and  in 
sentiment,  and  the  keen  perception  of  the  scientist  to  search 
out  all  that  is  useful  to  man  in  the  hidden  secrets  of  God. 


THE  CAUSE  OF  THE  GRACCHI. 


By  ARTHUR  J.  CRAVEN,  of  Iowa  State  University. 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 

Arthur}.  Craven  was  born  at  College  Hill  (now  Lancaster), 
Indiana,  on  the  I2th  day  of  December,  1857.  H's  parents  re 
moved  to  Minnesota  when  he  was  three  years  of  age.  They 
lived  in  Minnesota  six  years  and  then  moved  to  Iowa,  where  he 
grew  to  manhood.  He  commenced  teaching  when  quite  young 
to  obtain  money  for  a  college  course,  and  at  nineteen  years  of 
age  entered  Iowa  State  University,  Iowa  City,  graduating  there 
from  in  the  regular  collegiate  course  June,  1882.  In  his  junior 
year  he  took  first  prize  for  oratory  in  a  contest  composed  of 
members  of  his  class;  in  the  following  year  he  represented  the 
university  and  the  State  at  the  inter-State  contest,  taking 
second  prize  on  the  oration  given  on  the  following  pages. 
In  this  latter  contest  he  had  not  been  on  his  feet  a  minute  be 
fore  the  glare  of  the  foot-lights  so  annoyed  him  that  every 
preconceived  idea  with  reference  to  his  subject  vanished,  and 
he  was  compelled  to  extemporize  as  best  he  could  for  a  few 
moments  before  again  getting  on  the  beaten  track  of  thought 
and  language.  After  graduating  he  taught  school  one  year  in 
order  to  pay  up  his  indebtedness  at  college.  He  then  read  law 
with  Judge  Winslovv,  at  Newton,  Iowa;  was  admitted  to  the  bar 
February,  1884.  Mr.  Craven  was  married  to  Miss  EmmaKerr, 
of  Newton,  Iowa,  removing  the  same  year  to  Helena,  Montana. 
He  was  a  member  of  the  constitutional  convention  which 
framed  the  present  constitution  of  Montana.  The  firm  ol 
Leslie  &  Craven  is  one  of  the  most  enterprising  law  firms  oi 
the  State,  and  their  business  is  rapidly  increasing,  which  suc 
cess  they  well  merit. 

(122) 


The  Cause  of  the  Gracchi.  123 


THE  ORATION. 

Delivered  at  the  Inter-State  Oratorical  Contest,  at  Indianapolis,  Indiana, 
May,  1882,  taking  second  prize.  Judges:  Hon.  NOBLE  C.  BUTLER,  Judge 
J.  S.  FRAZER,  Rev.  OSCAR  C.  MCCULLOCH. 

_J.  Ideas,  not  swords,  have  filled  the  past  with  ruins.  Rome 
was  not  destroyed  by  barbarians.  True,  they  captured  and 
pillaged  and  destroyed  a  city  whose  name  was  Rome,  but  the 
fair  mistress  of  the  world,  the  pride  of  her  children,  had  long 
been  dead;  and  when  the  lands  of  the  North  stretched  out 
their  strong  arms  to  seize  a  bride,  they  embraced  a  corpse. 

Ideas,  not  swords!  And  among  the  ideas  that  scourge  man- 
kind  none  is  more  potent  than  that  of  man's  inequality  —  assert 
ing  that  men  are  notvi  the  same  blood,  that  we  are  not  free  and 

o 

equal,  that  I  shall  be  king  and  you  shall  be  slave.  It  sounds 
the  tocsin  of  war  on  the  world's  battle-fields.  It  is  the  great 
_£Loliath  of  history,  striding  through  the  centuries,  overturning 
kingdoms,  obliterating  empires,  challenging  republics;  but  no 
youthful  David  with  sling  and  stone  has  yet  stepped  out  from 
the  ranks  of  the  people  who  can  slay  and  behead  this  gian,t  of 
tyranny.  As  Americans  we  boast  that  the  Declaration  of  In 
dependence  was  his  death-warrant,  and  that  our  political  fabric 
towers  high  above  his  grave.  But  whence  comes  this  cry  of 
monopoly  and  the  warnings  against  centralization  ?  Is  it  merely 
the  wail  of  human  discontent?  Are  not  the  rich  becoming 
richer  and  the  poor  poorer?  Does  not  monopoly  dip  its  hands 
into  every  bushel  of  wheat  —  yea,  even  into  the  standing  grain? 
The  tattgred  children  of  poverty,  nursed  and  swaddled  in  the 
deadly  -sliade,_of,jCjprp,or.ation,  tugging  at  the  skirts  of  their 
mothers  for  bread  —  are  they  really  hungry?  In  the  dreary 
past,  you  say,  cloud-crowned  pyramids  and  mouldering  ruins 
of  lofty  cities  whisper  of  slavery.  In  the  battle-fields  of  yester 
day  we  see  the  victory  of  human  rights.  Yes;  but  this  bloody 
monster  of  inequality  rises  from-4ts--very-gr-av6.  Formerly  it 
was  serfdom,  rtow  it  is  monopoly;  yesterday  it  was  slavery,  to 
day  it  is  centraljzation.  Take  away  its  part  from  the  long 
drama  of  history,  and  the  play  has  lost  its  meaning.  Extermi 
nate  this  principle  from  the  politics  of  to-day,  and  you  relieve 
our  statesmen  of  half  their  cares. 


124  Winning  Orations. 

Agrarian  reformation  derives  its  importance  not  merely 
from  its  tragical  interest  in  history,  but  from  the  fact  that  it  is 
strangely  applicable  to  present  politics.  History,  with  all  its 
ceaseless  repetitions,  has  resurrected  from  the  buried  past  no 
problem  of  such  continual  importance  as  the  use,  rent,  and 
ownership  of  land.  The  past  resounds  with  the  tread  of  sol 
diery,  the  cries  of  slavery  and  despotism;  but  exclusiveness 
of  land  possessions  is  the  basis  of  conquest,  the  foundation  of 
slavery  and  revolution,  the  very  corner-stone  of  despotism. 
Wide-stretching  acres  made  the  lords  of  feudalism;  serfdom  is 
the  product  of  tenantry.  Ireland  to-day,  with  her  rags  and  her 
stripes,  is  the  sad  epitome  of  agrarian  abuse. 

Land,  indeed,  is  real  estate.  It  endures  though  government 
and  race  be  swept  away.  It  fosters  conservatism.  It  checks 
revolution.  It  gives  courage  to  patriotism.  Mercenary  troops 
have  won  few  victories.  From  the  firesides  in  peril  stretch  the 
mystic  chords  of  sympathy  along  which  flit  messages  that  spur 
trembling  armies  to  victory. 

It  was  this  importance  of  land  ownership  as  a  factor  of 
patriotism  which  filled  the  mind  of  Tiberius  Gracchus.  On  his 
journey  to  Spain  as  an  emissary  of  the  Roman  government,  he 
clearly  saw  the  dark  cloud  of  imperialism  drifting  over  the 
desolated  fields  of  Italy.  The  small  land-owners  had  been 
driven  out.  Their  homes  and  mortgaged  farms  had  been  seized 
by  the  centralizing  hand  of  the  rich.  With  their  homeless 
families  they  had  sailed  across  the  seas  to  the  colonies,  or  had 
fled  to  Rome  to  join  the  ranks  of  an  idle  army,  or  swell  the 
hungry  multitude  which  fawned  at  the  feet  of  ambitious  dema 
gogues,  and  sold  their  votes  for  bread.  Honest  toil  had  lost 
its  incentives.  Free  labor  could  not  compete  with  the  drudgery 
of  slaves.  Slave  gangs  of  stammering  barbarians  looked  sadly 
from  the  fields  upon  the  crowds  of  free  laborers  flocking  to  the 
city.  Homes  were  dear,  but  what  were  all  the  pleasures  of 
domestic  life  compared  with  the  terrors  of  serfdom?  One  way, 
and  one  way  only,  led  to  distinction  and  glory;  and  that  lay 
over  the  bloody  corpses  of  battle-fields,  or  through  the  passions 
of  the  forum.  Rome  was  the  center  of  the  world.  Her  return 
ing  armies  came  back  with  standards  of  victory.  Long  pro 
cessions  of  triumph,  glittering  with  the  spoils  of  conquest, 
were  marching  beneath  her  arches.  Philosophers  and  teachers 


The  Cause  of  the  Gracchi.  125 

endowed  her  with  knowledge.  The  forum  was  hushed  by  the 
spell  of  eloquence.  Her  streets  were  thronged  with  strangers 
But  the  surrounding  fields  yielded  scanty  harvests  to  the  labor 
of  slaves,  and  over  the  proud  hills  and  lofty  domes  of  the  city 
hung  a  cloud  of  famine  which  neither  sunshine  nor  breeze 
could  ever  dispel. 

The  very  causes  which  contributed  so  largely  to  the  renown 
and  outward  strength  of  the  republic  were  hurrying  it  forward 
to  a  speedy  decline.  Increase  of  conquest  made  an  increase 
of  captives.  The  slavery  of  the  captive  destroyed  the  liberty 
of  the  freeman.  And  as  farther  and  farther  the  tread  of  the 
Roman  legions  advanced  through  surrounding  nations,  when 
far  in  the  East  the  boundaries  were  marked  by  the  line  of 
Roman  spears,  when  their  standards  were  raised  beyond  the 
Alps,  and  Roman  sails  fluttered  in  every  harbor,  the  broad 
Mediterranean  was  freighted  with  living  cargoes,  and  Rome 
became  the  slave-market  of  the  world.  Her  great  men  boast 
no  more  the  love  of  country.  They  count  their  money,  measure 
their  domains,  dress  forth  their  banquets,  awake  the  lyres  and 
timbrels,  and  with  floods  of  ripe  Falernian  drown  the  little  left 
of  virtue.  The  laws,  the  laws  of  common  right,  the  guard,  the 
wealth,  the  honor,  the  safety  of  the  nation — who  has  sold 
them,  defaced,  and  corrupted  them?  Why  do  they  guard  the 
rich  man's  cloak,  and  tear  the  poor  man's  garment  from  his 
back?  Why  are  they  in  the  grasp  of  wealth  a  sword,  and  in 
the  hands  of  poverty  a  broken  reed? 

On  a  heart  warm  with  patriotism,  this  political  condition 
could  not  fail  to  make  an  impression.  On  this  journey  to  Spain 
Tiberius  resolved  upon  the  agrarian  reform,  which  determined 
his  career.  On  the  summits  of  the  mountains  fringing  the 
northern  border  he  paused  and  looked  back  upon  Italy.  Be 
low  were  the  plains  which  lately  bloomed  with  the  happy 
homes  of  peasantry.  Away  in  the  distance  rose  the  outlines 
of  Rome.  There  was  his  home  of  royalty  —  his  father  the 
consul;  his  mother,  Cornelia,  the  daughter  of  Hannibal's  con 
queror.  There  he  was  the  petted  favorite  in  the  most  distin 
guished  circles  of  aristocracy.  There  he  was  taught  and 
trained  by  Rome's  greatest  teachers  and  orators.  There  he 
had  married  the  daughter  of  Appius.  There,  indeed,  lay  the 
path  of  glory;  but  it  was  paved  with  the  oppression  of  the 


126  Winning  Orations. 

weak,  and  wet  with  the  tears  of  the  poor.  In  the  valleys 
wandered  the  step-son  of  Italy.  On  the  breeze  was  borne  the 
clamor  of  the  rabble  in  the  distant  city.  And  there  on  the 
mountains,  looking  down  on  a  land  rendered  sacred  by  the 
memory  of  his  fathers,  he  closed  his  eyes  upon  visions  of 
wealth,  and  formed  his  plan  for  the  relief  of  his  country  — -a 
plan  as  stainless  and  pure  as  the  snow  which  crowned  the 
mountain-peaks  above  him. 

In  the  crowded  forum  behold  the  sad  tragedy  of  republics. 
On  the  one  side  iron-fingered  monopoly  with  its  deeds  and 
its  bonds;  on  the  other,  a  nation  of  beggars  pleading  for  bread. 
Tiberius  rises  from  the  side  of  the  aristocrats,  and  demands 
that  a  law  already  passed  should  be  enforced;  that  the  land  of 
conquest,  which  Rome  had  provided  for  her  beggared  children, 
should  be  wrested  from  the  hands  of  wealthy  usurpers  and 
distributed  to  those  for  whom  they  were  designed;  that  a 
commonwealth  of  small  land-owners  would  prove  a  balm  f^r 
pauperism  and  make  a  bulwark  as  strong  as  adamant  against 
centralization.  He  is  scourged  and  mangled  by  that  maddened 
aristocracy,  and  finds  his  grave  in  the  sands  of  the  Tiber.  A 
brother  grows  to  manhood,  and  rising  in  that  same  forum 
pleads  for  poverty,  and  his  lifeless  head  is  held  before  the  gaze 
of  the  multitude  and  rolled  at  the  feet  of  his  mother. 

Go  seek  for  the  sorrow  which  bears  the  dregs  of  grief, 
where  tears  are  relief  and  breaking  hearts  are  voiceless,  and 
you  find  it  not  with  the  warrior  counting  the  loss  of  the  battle, 
not  with  Napoleon  standing  lone  and  pensive  at  St.  Helena, 
gazing  above  the  raging  billows  toward  sunny  France;  but  go 
rather  where  Rachel  is  weeping,  where  Cornelia,  and  Niobe  of 
Rome,  asks  no  greater  comfort  than  that  the  world,  that  history, 
should  only  call  her  the  "Mother  of  the  Gracchi." 

Volumes  have  been  filled  with  the  results  of  the  failure  of 
her  martyred  sons.  True,  it  is  only  the  wind  that  plays  with 
the  idle  leaves,  but  it  heralds  the  tempest  which  will  rend 
every  fiber  of  the  forest.  The  sculptor  carves  his  marble  and 
the  poet  weaves  his  verse;  but  the  deadly  virus  courses  through 
the  veins  of  the  state.  The  vulture  of  destruction  broods  over 
the  imperial  city  and  perches  upon  her  lofty  pinnacles.  Mur 
der  strides  through  senate  halls  and  creeps  with  drawn  daggers 
to  the  bedside  of  sovereignty.  Virtue  gathers  her  spotless 


The  Cause  of  the  Gracchi.  127 

robes,  and  flees.  The  palace  of  marble  overshadows  the  lowly 
hovel.  The  tread  of  armies  wakes  the  echoes  of  civil  discord. 
The  rivers  are  stained  with  the  blood  of  those  who  lately  toiled 
along  their  banks.  On  the  peak  of  the  mountain  frowns  the 
fortress  of  the  noble;  on  the  plain  below,  in  all  the  pains  of 
serfdom,  toil  the  subjects  of  the  empire. 

Almost  two  thousand  years  have  rolled  on.  Time  has 
wrought  his  mighty  changes.  The  kind  face  of  old  Mother 
Earth  has  grown  scarred  and  worn  by  the  care  of  her  quarrel 
ing,  restless  children.  Civilization  has  fled  from  her  cradle  in 
the  East.  She  has  plowed  the  continents  and  sailed  the  seas. 
Here  under  western  skies  she  has  built  her  cities  and  raised 
her  monuments.  To-day  we  wander  back  and  search  for  the 
footprints  of  her  youth.  Every  mound  is  sad  with  its  story, 
every  ruin  speaks;  but  none  more  plainly  and  solemnly  to  this 
republic  of  the  West  than  the  columns  and  temples  crumbled 
and  decayed  because  the  cause  of  the  Gracchi  was  lost. 


THE  POLITICAL  MISSION  OF  PURITANISM. 


By  JOHN  M.  Ross,  of  Monmouth  College. 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 

John  M.  Ross  was  born  at  Monmouth,  Illinois,  and  is  the 
son  of  Rev.  Robert  Ross,  one  of  the  founders  of  Monmouth 
College.  He  received  his  education  in  the  Monmouth  schools 
and  college.  He  was  the  successful  orator  of  the  tenth  inter- 
State  contest,  which  occurred  in  1883,  at  Minneapolis,  Minnesota. 
Here  it  was  declared  he  is  an  orator  by  natural  talent,  and  by 
thorough  study  acquired  the  perfections  of  an  orator.  Upon 
graduating  he  accepted  the  professorship  of  mathematics  in 
Tarkio  College,  Missouri.  Two  years  later  he  began  the  study 
of  theology,  in  the  United  Presbyterian  Theological  Seminaries 
of  Xenia,  Ohio,  and  Allegheny,  Pennsylvania,  graduating  from 
the  latter  institution  March,  1888,  and  began  his  ministration 
as  pastor  of  the  Oakland  United  Presbyterian  Church,  of  Pitts- 
burg,  where  he  still  remains  their  favorite  pastor. 


THE  ORATION. 

Delivered  at  the  Inter-State  Oratorical  Contest,  at  Minneapolis,  Minne 
sota,  May,  1883,  taking  first  prize.  Judges:  Hon.  ANGUS  CAMERON,  J.  W. 
STEARNS,  Hon.  S.  M.  CLARK,  Rev.  Dr.  LITTLE,  Gen.  A.  B.  NETTLETON. 

The  essence  of  Puritanism  was  belief  in  God  and  liberty. 
The  Puritan  believed  in  God;  but  so  did  the  Cavalier.  The 
Puritan  believed  in  liberty;  so  did  his  Teutonic  ancestor.  But 
men  had  learned  at  last  to  grasp  the  dual  truth  of  man's  free 
dom  and  God's  sovereignty.  Belief  in  God  and  belief  in 
liberty  were  welded  into  one.  The  Cavalier  believed  in  God 
and  the  divine  right  of  kings.  The  Puritan  believed  in  God 
and  the  inalienable  rights  of  the  people.  This  belief  was  not 
a  mere  abstract  conception;  it  was  a  soul-stirring  energy,  and 

(128) 


The  Political  Mission  of  Puritanism.  129 

was  potent  for  good.  It  produced  earnestness,  fearlessness, 
devotion  to  duty,  rugged  strength,  moral  sublimity.  'T  was 
this  belief  that  nerved  Hampdcn  to  resist  his  king;  animated 
Cromwell's  Ironsides;  taught  Vane  how  to  die;  wrung  majestic 
music  from  the  harp  of  Milton;  thrilled  a  whole  nation  with 
lofty  enthusiasm;  opened  up  to  the  world  broad  vistas  of 
progress. 

The  separation  of  the  English  Church  from  Papal  Rome 
was  an  act  of  kingly  self-aggrandizement.  The  sovereign  be 
came  supreme  in  both  spiritual  and  temporal  affairs.  Civil 
liberty  was  little  advanced.  Rather  were  the  coils  of  arbitrary 
rule  drawn  more  tightly.  Ecclesiastical  tyranny  re-enforced 
that  of  the  crown.  This  double-headed  despotism  of  church 
and  state  made  its  lair  behind  the  throne.  When  attacked  it 
slunk  into  its  den  and  securely  defied  pursuit.  Before  the 
monster  could  be  throttled,  the  throne  itself  must  be  battered 
down.  Thus  Puritanism  in  resisting  the  encroachments  of  the 
spiritual  order  antagonized  the  crown.  Organizing  opposition 
to  arbitrary  rule,  it  carried  reform  into  governmental  affairs 
and  became  the  champion  of  popular  rights.  Earnestly,  hero 
ically,  resistlessly,  the  Puritan  threw  himself  into  the  struggle. 
He  protested  against  superstition  and  tyranny.  He  plead  for 
knowledge,  truth,  righteousness,  liberty.  The  grandeur  of  his 
idea  impressed  itself  upon  his  work.  While  the  Cavalier  was 
dazzled  by  the  glitter  of  royalty  and  rewarded  by  the  smile  of 
his  king,  the  Puritan  was  devoted  to  the  uplifting  of  his  race 
and  sought  a  reward  which  fadeth  not  away.  The  former 
represents  the  tinsel  age  of  chivalry;  the  latter,  the  golden  age 
of  humanity.  The  Cavalier  struck  his  lyre  and  sang  of  war, 
knighthood,  gallantry,  the  splendors  of  regal  power;  and  the 
siren  song  died  away.  The  Puritan  tuned  his  harp  and  sang 
of  liberty,  justice,  mercy,  the  glories  of  a  heavenly  home;  and 
that  melody  re-echoes  evermore. 

Conflict  was  inevitable.  Liberty  was  the  issue.  The  two 
principles  —  the  popular  and  the  arbitrary  —  marshaled  their 
forces  for  the  contest.  If  the  Cavalier  deserves  respect  for  his 
loyalty  in  rallying  under  the  banner  of  his  king,  the  Puritan 
commands  admiration  and  gratitude  for  defending  the  cause  of 
popular  liberty.  If  the  Cavalier  feared  innovation  with  its 
accompanying  evils,  the  Puritan  dreaded  despotism  with  its 


130  Winning  Orations. 

baneful  blight.  The  Cavalier  loved  pomp  and  power;  the 
Puritan  hated  shams  and  oppression.  If  there  was  somewhat 
of  fanaticism  in  the  acts  of  the  Puritan,  there  was  much  of 
servility  in  the  character  of  the  Cavalier.  The  fanaticism 
sprang  from  excess  of  earnestness;  the  servility,  from  lack  of 
high  motives.  The  Cavalier  fought  for  royalty  and  personal 
triumph;  the  Puritan,  for  constitutional  liberty  and  popular 
rights.  The  policy  of  one  tended  to  centralization  of  wealth 
and  power,  to  thralldom  and  national  decadence;  that  of  the 
other,  to  development  and  progress.  The  Puritan  was  not  a 
Jacobin  — not  a  Nihilist,  finding  a  mad  delight  in  the  work  of 
indiscriminate  destruction.  He  was  an  ideal  revolutionist, 
destroying  the  evil,  preserving  the  good.  Did  he  aim  sledge 
hammer  blows  at  the  formalities  of  the  church?  Yes;  yet  he- 
cherished  true  religion.  Did  he  with  stubborn  strength  oppose 
his  king?  Yes;  yet  he  loved  law  and  order. 

But  why  was  the  Commonwealth  so  speedily  succeeded  by 
the  Restoration?  Why  did  the  people  fail  to  maintain  their 
ascendency?  Because  they  were  fallible.  Conceptions  of 
truth  are  at  first  vague  and  imperfect.  The  dawning  of  great 
ideas  is  like  the  dawning  of  the  sun.  In  the  first  glimmerings 
of  light  men  catch  distorted  and  sometimes  even  grotesque 
views  of  things  around  them.  It  was  so  with  the  Puritan.  As 
light  increased  and  more  rational  views  prevailed,  propositions 
which  had  appeared  reasonable  became  palpable  absurdities. 
The  dominant  party  was  loaded  down  with  odium.  The  people 
had  been  trained  in  the  school  of  tyranny.  They  were  not 
prepared  for  self-government.  They  could  dethrone  their 
king;  they  could  not  crown  themselves.  Anarchy  impended. 
The  Protectorate  was  a  child  of  necessity.  Given  conditions 
as  stated,  and  Carlyle's  solution  of  the  problem  is  the  only  ade 
quate  one — the  strongest  soul,  the  Hero,  must  rule.  With 
the  death  of  Cromwell  coherence  was  lost.  Disintegration 
followed.  Hence  the  Restoration.  The  old  despotism,  how 
ever,  could  not  be  permanently  reinstated.  The  Puritan  idea 
survived  the  fall  of  the  Commonwealth.  It  disseminated  itself, 
molding  the  sentiments  of  the  nation.  The  fantastic  visions 
of  the  early  dawn  vanished  before  the  on-coming  light.  In 
English  society,  through  all  its  fluctuations,  there  was  a  durable 
element  of  progress.  The  shuttle  of  thought  glided  rapidly  to 


The  Political  Mission  of  Puritanism.  131 

and  fro;  but  the  fair  fabric  of  truth  was  woven  at  last  from  the 
contending  opinions  of  men.  The  Revolution  of  '88  establishes 
a  constitutional  govenment,  and  "Freedom  rears  her  beautiful, 
bold  brows." 

But  the  Englishman  could  not  fully  appreciate  Puritanism. 
His  prejudices  were  too  strong.  Then  as  now  he  prized  liberty, 
yet  his  affections  were  centered  in  himself;  his  sympathies 
were  bounded  by  his  native  island.  He  made  the  same  mis 
take  that  men  have  ever  made.  He  forgot  that  a  principle 
once  accepted  must  be  accepted  in  its  entirety,  and  must  pro 
duce  its  own  legitimate  results.  And  just  here  is  the  reason 
that  "God's  first  temples"  have  so  often  echoed  with  the  harsh 
notes  of  war;  just  here  is  the  reason  for  the  convulsions  which 
have  upheaved  society;  just  here  is  the  reason  that  humanity 
has  advanced  along  a  road  macadamized  with  the  bones  of 
martyrs.  Puritanism  was  not  for  a  nation  alone;  't  was  for 
humanity.  It  had  formulated  a  creed  too  broad  for  England. 
Only  in  a  new  land  could  it  fully  realize  its  lofty  ideals.  Its 
best  elements  sought  in  America  a  home.  Here  Puritanism 
itself  became  more  pure.  Here  it  outgrew  the  deformities 
which  disfigured  it  in  England;  but  its  essential  truth  endured, 
for  that  was  imperishable.  That  the  two  principles,  love  of 
liberty  and  reverence  for  law,  are  not  antagonistic  but  are 
complements  of  each  other;  that  they  are  the  bulwarks  which 
defend  society  from  tyranny  on  one  hand  and  from  anarchy  on 
the  other;  that  together  they  form  the  Gordian  knot  which 
despots  cannot  cut  nor  communists  untie  —  this  was  the  sublime 
affirmation  of  New  World  Puritanism;  and  this  affirmation  is 
the  rock  upon  which  our  Republic  rests.  Love  of  liberty  in 
spired  the  sturdy  yeomanry  of  New  England  in  the  contest  for 
independence;  reverence  for  law  unified  society  and  saved  it 
from  the  awful  doom  which  a  few  years  later  settled  down  on 
France  like  night.  In  the  New  World,  as  in  the  Old,  the  pro 
gress  of  Puritanism  has  been  in  the  face  of  opposition;  but  its 
development  through  successive  generations  is  that  which  has 
given  unity  and  dignity  to  American  history.  In  our  own 
century  it  has  waged  its  mightiest  conflict  and  achieved  its 
crowning  triumph.  In  the  campaigns  of  the  civil  war  those 
principles  which  had  been  vindicated  at  Marston  Moor  and 
Naseby  were  again  at  stake.  In  the  maintenance  of  national 


132  Winning'  Orations. 

sovereignty,  in  the  destruction  of  the  slave  power,  in  the 
enfranchisement  of  the  negro,  these  principles  were  again 
triumphant.  The  broad-minded  statesmen  who  framed  the 
Constitution  had  preferred  to  employ  a  circumlocution  rather 
than  admit,  even  by  implication,  the  atrocious  proposition  that 
there  can  be  property  in  man.  They  had  appealed  to  coming 
generations  to  vindicate  their  wisdom,  and  their  appeal  was 
not  in  vain.  At  Gettysburg  and  on  other  battle-fields  it  was 
decided — finally,  we  trust  that  the  Puritan  idea  is  not  local 
but  universal  in  its  application;  that  it  is  true  for  all  races  and 
for  all  time.  Admirable  indeed  were  the  results  of  Puritanism 
in  England;  but  the  extent  and  potency  of  its  influence  must 
be  viewed  in  the  Republic  of  the  West.  In  England  it  was 
revolutionary;  in  America,  constructive  and  creative.  In  Eng 
land  its  mission  was  to  remodel  an  ancient  building,  but  the 
old  frame-work  marred  the  symmetry;  in  America  it  erected 
a  new  edifice  founded  upon  faith  in  God  and  devotion  to  the 
rights  of  man.  Unhampered  by  old  institutions  it  here  found 
room  for  development,  and  developed.  It  cast  off  localisms. 
It  represented  enlightened,  liberal  views.  It  molded  character. 
It  built  up  institutions.  It  became  both  the  germ-principle  and 
the  conservator  of  a  nation's  life.  In  England  it  secured  liberty 
for  Englishmen;  in  America,  spurning  with  broad  generaliza 
tions  the  narrow  confines  of  time  and  place,  it  proclaimed  lib 
erty  as  the  birthright  of  all  men.  Here  Freedom  reared  her 
holiest  temple  and  opened  wide  its  portals  to  the  world.  Here 
shall  this  temple  stand,  let  us  hope,  until  the  grateful  nations 
worship  at  its  shrine. 

The  Puritan  was  human,  and  therefore  fallible.  In  rude, 
ungraceful  strength,  mountain-like,  he  stands  out  on  the  land 
scape  of  history.  The  angular  outlines  of  his  character  offend 
some  in  this  fastidious  age.  It  is  well  we  can  laugh  at  the 
eccentricities  and  crudities  of  his  thought.  It  is  not  well  if  we 
fail  to  appreciate  his  moral  grandeur  and  the  debt  we  owe  him. 
It  is  not  well  if  we  seek  to  hear  only  the  minor  discords  and  are 
deaf  to  the  noble  music  of  his  life.  Let  it  not  be  forgotten 
that  to  the  Puritan,  as  Hume  testifies,  England  owes  the  whole 
liberty  to  her  constitution.  Let  is  not  be  forgotten  that  when 
in  America  "stern  Democracy  hymned  its  world-thrilling  birth 
and  battle  song,"  the  spirit  of  English  Puritanism  was  present 


The  Political  Mission  of  Puritanism.  133 

and  inspired  that  strain.  Let  it  not  be  forgotten  that  upon  the 
continued  activity  of  this  Puritan  idea  depend  the  advance  of 
Anglo-Saxon  civilization,  the  stability  of  American  institutions 
and  the  maintenance  of  the  dearest  rights  of  humanity. 

By  the  Puritan  were  originated  or  promulgated  those  ideas 
which  are  the  political  master-principles  of  to-day;  principles 
upon  which  rest  the  governments  of  modern  England  and 
America;  principles  upon  which  depends  the  prosperity  —  aye, 
the  political  salvation  of  the  world.  Representative  govern 
ment,  universal  equality,  education,  and  freedom  in  its  highest, 
grandest  sense — freedom  of  conscience,  which  brings  freedom 
of  thought,  freedom  of  action  —  all  bear  testimony  to  the  influ 
ence  of  Puritanism.  Though  as  a  political  organization  it 
perished  when  its  work  was  done,  as  a  spiritual  force  it  lived, 
purifying  and  directing  public  sentiment,  changing  the  arid 
wastes  of  history  into  gardens  of  wealth  and  beauty.  "Time 
has  softened  its  asperities,"  but  strengthened  its  devotion  to 
truth.  The  old  Ironside  sleeps  his  dreamless  sleep,  but  the 
soul  of  Puritanism  "is  marching  on."  As  once  it  wrested 
Liberty  from  the  tyrant's  grasp,  so  to-day  in  the  face  of  mad 
dened  mobs  it  asserts  the  majesty  of  Law.  Nor  will  its  works 
be  complete  till  universal  right  prevails,  and  men  are  freed  from 
every  chain,  save  those  by  which  "this  whole  round  earth  is 
bound  about  the  feet  of  God." 


THE  SAXON  ELEMENT  IN  CIVILIZATION. 


By  DANIEL  M.  KELLOGG,  of  Beloit  College. 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 

Daniel  M.  Kellogg  was  born  November  8,  1859,  at  White 
water,  Wisconsin.  His  father,  who  was  a  brilliant  lawyer,  died 
when  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  eight  years  of  age.  His 
mother  was  a  lady  of  culture  and  great  piety,  and  her  son  at 
tributes  his  success  to  her  Christian  training.  Mr.  Kellogg  re 
ceived  his  elementary  education  in  the  schools  of  his  native 
place.  He  entered  the  preparatory  school  of  Beloit  College 
at  the  age  of  twenty,  continuing  until  graduated.  In  college 
he  was  especially  fond  of  literary  and  oratorical  work,  never 
failing  to  take  the  prize  at  a  public  debate  or  contest.  At  the 
inter-State  contest  he  was  awarded  second  prize  on  his  oration, 
"The  Saxon  Element  in  Civilization,"  which  appears  on  the 
following  pages.  Upon  completing  his  education  he  taught 
school  in  Kansas  three  years,  after  which  he  returned  to  his  na 
tive  place  and  engaged  in  the  study  of  law.  For  several  years 
Mr.  Kellogg  has  been  prominently  identified  with  the  temper 
ance  cause,  holding  positions  of  responsibility  and  trust.  When 
in  college  he  espoused  the  cause  of  the  Prohibition  party,  but 
later  became  convinced  that  better  results  could  be  obtained 
by  non-partisan  effort  and  renewed  his  allegiance  to  the  Repub 
lican  party.  In  September,  1888,  he  was  chosen  by  this  party 
at  Whitewater,  Wisconsin,  as  the  champion  of  the  Republi 
cans,  in  a  joint  debate  with  Hon.  Walter  Mills,  "the  little  giant 
of  Ohio,"  who  represented  the  Prohibition  party.  So  well  did 
Mr.  Kellogg  acquit  himself  on  this  occasion  that,  on  the  follow 
ing  evening,  his  fellow  citizens  serenaded  him  and  presented 
him  with  a  handsome  purse  as  an  appreciation  of  his  effort, 
lie  was  afterward  employed  by  the  Republican  State  Central 
Committee,  and  made  over  forty  speeches  during  the  last 

(i34) 


The  Saxon  Element  in  Civilization.  135 

campaign.  In  August,  1889,  Mf-  Kellogg  was  married  to  Mrs. 
Carrie  Hayes,  a  lady  of  high  attainments.  About  this  time  he 
received  a  government  position  in  the  office  of  the  secretary  of 
the  interior,  and  now  resides  in  his  pleasant  home  on  H  Street, 
Washington,  D.  C. 


THE  ORATION. 

Delivered  at  the  Inter-State  Oratorical  Contest,  Minneapolis,  Minne 
sota,  May,  1883,  taking  second  prize.  Judges:  Hon.  ANGUS  CAMERON,  J. 
\V.  STEARNS,  Hon.  S.  M.  CLARK,  Rev.  Dr.  LITTLE,  Gen.  A.  B.  NETTLETON. 

Prominent  among  the  races  of  men  stands  the  Saxon. 
Nursed  in  the  forests  of  Germany,  rocked  in  the  cradle  of  the 
ocean,  in  childhood  transplanted  to  his  island  home,  his  early 
surroundings  tended  to  develop  a  vigorous  manhood.  It  is 
said  that  the  giant  trees  of  the  West  rear  themselves  in  one 
massive  trunk  far  above  the  surrounding  forest  and  then  stretch 
out  their  lofty  branches  to  the  unhindered  light  of  the  sun. 
So  through  the  centuries  the  Saxon  has  attained  his  develop 
ment,  and  to-day  the  branches  of  this  mammoth  tree,  penetra 
ting  the  extremities  of  the  world,  receive  nourishment  from 
the  parent  trunk. 

Stability  has  ever  marked  the  course  of  the  Saxon.  With 
steadiness  of  purpose,  with  persistent  action,  he  has  stamped 
his  impress  upon  the  world's  civilization.  When  the  tide  of 
Germanic  tribes  swept  over  western  Europe,  the  Frank,  the 
Goth,  the  Lombard,  in  a  few  generations  were  entirely  absorbed 
by  the  vanquished  races,  but  the  Saxon  not  only  conquered 
the  Briton,  he  so  transformed  him  that  the  Celtic  element 
formed  but  a  small  part  of  the  English  race.  \Vherever  it  has 
come  in  contact  with  a  foreign  people,  either  as  conqueror  or 
conquered,  the  Saxon  element  has  prevailed.  The  savage 
Dane  became  a  part  of  the  English  nation,  and  in  a  short  time- 
in  customs,  manners,  and  language,  was  essentially  Saxon. 
The  Norman  was  the  conqueror  in  battle,  and  vainly  attempted 
to  guide  and  curb  the  destinies  of  the  Saxon  race,  but  on  that 
broader  battle-field,  in  the  conflict  of  the  ages,  where  nature's 
unerring  law  secures  the  survival  of  the  fittest,  there  the  victor's 
wreath  rests  upon  the  brow  of  the  Saxon.  In  the  colonization 
of  the  New  World  other  races,  partially  adopting  native  cus- 


136  Winning  Orations. 

toms,  have  produced  a  mongrel  and  semi-barbarous  civiliza 
tion;  but  the  Saxon,  rigidly  maintaining  his  identity,  scorning 
external  compromise,  infuses  into  all  races  his  national  life. 
The  proud  Spaniard  sinks  into  the  indolent  Mexican,  but  the 
Englishman  is  ever  true  to  his  race.  The  Saxon,  moreover,  is 
a  radical,  but  a  conservative  radical;  not  overturning  society 
to  right  a  wrong,  but  beginning  at  the  root  of  things,  starting 
with  a  firm  foundation,  after  careful  consideration,  he  uproots 
noxious  evils,  and  engrafts  new  principles  upon  the  old  stock, 
choosing  the  golden  mean  between  rash  radicalism  and  unalter 
able  conservatism.  Deeply  imbedded  in  the  foundation  of 
modern  enlightenment,  intricately  interwoven  in  the  web  of 
human  progress,  to  eradicate  the  Saxon  element  would  cause 
the  whole  structure  to  totter  and  fall,  would  rend  into  shreds  the 
entire  fabric.  Exterminate  it  in  one  place  and  it  will  appear 
at  another,  and  like  the  mountain-moss  will  take  root  and 
flourish  upon  the  bare  rock.  Such  is  the  stability  of  the 
Saxon  element  in  civilization. 

A  natural  fitness  for  government  has  ever  characterized  the 
Saxon.  The  equality  of  mankind  was  with  him  an  innate 
principle.  Self-government  was  an  inherent  right.  The  town- 
meeting  and  trial  by  jury,  ancient  Saxon  institutions,  are  the 
foundation  of  all  modern  civil  liberty.  Representative  govern 
ment,  the  stumbling-stone  of  kings,  was  a  Saxon  principle. 
The  Normans  attempted  to  supplant  Saxon  freedom  with  the 
feudal  system  of  the  continent,  but  through  centuries  of  con 
flict  English  liberty  has  continually  been  in  the  ascendant. 
The  divine  right  of  kings,  taxation  without  representation, 
restraint  of  thought  and  action,  have  all  been  shattered  by  the 
principles  of  Saxon  liberty;  and  to-day  the  "great  commoner," 
who  guides  the  destinies  of  that  world-encircling  empire,  is  a 
representative  of  the  people,  while  the  descendant  of  William 
the  Conqueror  sits  a  figure-head  in  Windsor  Castle. 

Saxon  liberty  comprises  principles  which  were  unknown  to 
the  ancient  republics  of  Greece  and  Rome.  Roman  and  Gre 
cian  law  concentrated  all  within  the  State.  The  State  was 
everything,  man  nothing.  For  the  advantage  of  the  State 
virtuous  and  worthy  citizens  were  banished  or  even  executed. 
Saxon  freedom  was  based  on  the  liberty  of  the  individual. 
The  earliest  enactments  of  the  British  parliament  were  for  the 


The  Saxon  Element  in  Civilisation.  137 

relief  of  personal  grievances.  Throughout  English  history  the 
great  struggle  for  liberty  was  a  struggle  for  personal  liberty. 
The  principles  of  Saxon  freedom  triumphed,  and  that  triumph 
has  tolled  the  death-knell  of  tyranny  everywhere,  sundered  the 
shackles  which  fettered  genius,  turned  with  lightning  rapidity 
the  wheel  of  human  progress,  and  materially  altered  the  history 
of  mankind.  From  the  crumbling  castles  of  feudalism,  royalty 
and  aristocracy  look  forth  upon  the  world  which  is  fast  eluding 
their  grasp,  hear  with  amazement  the  busy  hum  of  modern  in 
dustry,  behold  with  wonder  the  lofty  flights  of  low-born  genius, 
perceive  the  insignia  of  empire  vested  in  popular  sovereignty, 
and  the  crown  and  scepter,  emblems  of  medieval  majesty,  only 
retained  as  a  matter  of  political  convenience. 

The  moral  element  has  had  a  controlling  influence  in  Eng 
lish  civilization.  The  Saxon  was  intimately  related  to  those 
wild  nations  of  the  North,  whose  mythology,  fierce  and  brutal 
as  it  was,  yet  in  the  grandeur  of  its  conception  stirred  the 
human  soul  to  its  very  depths,  inculcated  sublime  sentiments 
of  life,  death,  fate,  and  destiny,  and  stood  in  strong  contrast 
to  the  loose  voluptuousness  of  the  Olympian  deities.  The 
gloomy  regions  of  the  North  and  the  lives  of  its  inhabitants, 
alternating  between  the  extremes  of  energy  and  repose,  had  a 
strong  tendency  to  nurse  reverential  sentiments.  Among  vast 
forests  of  perpetual  twilight,  among  mountains  rugged  with 
ice  and  crested  with  storms,  and  amid  the  dismal  vicissitudes 
of  northern  winters,  the  flitting  shadows  that  traversed  the  wild 
scenery  became  spiritual  visitants,  while  the  mysterious  sounds 
of  hill  and  valley  were  regarded  as  their  supernatural  voices. 
Calm,  cool,  deliberate,  self-reliant,  with  a  stern  sense  of  duty, 
the  Saxon  possessed  those  elements  of  character  which  pre 
served  English  civilization  intact  from  the  enervating  tenden 
cies  of  wealth  and  power.  When  Christianity  shed  its  beams 
of  light  over  Europe,  its  tenets  were  readily  adopted  bv  the 
Saxon  race.  The  doctrines  of  the  equality  of  man  and  in 
dividual  responsibility  to  God,  were  aptly  fitted  to  the  Saxon 
mind.  To  the  fickle  Celt  and  spiritless  Roman,  Christianity 
was  but  a  substitute  for  the  old  pagan  religion.  In  niches 
dedicated  to  the  shrines  of  the  gods,  were  placed  the  images 
of  the  saints.  The  Virgin  supplanted  the  voluptuous  Venus, 
and  the  Bishop  or  Pope  ruled  in  the  stead  of  Pontifex  Maxi- 


1 38  Winning-  Orations. 

mus.  But  the  Saxon,  penetrating  the  film  of  formalism  which 
obscured  the  sublime  truths  of  Christianity,  and  comprehend 
ing  the  divine  doctrines  of  that  gospel  which  brought  salvation 
to  man,  has  accomplished  more  than  any  other  in  spreading 
the  teachings  of  the  world's  greatest  benefactor.  When  the 
struggle  of  the  reformation  roused  Europe  from  its  fatal  leth 
argy,  the  Saxon  was  foremost  in  the  contest  between  protest 
antism  and  papacy.  Beneath  his  powerful  blows  priestcraft 
fell.  Absolutism  was  unbearable  to  his  independent  nature, 
either  in  church  or  state.  Freedom  of  thought  and  action  was 
first  recognized  upon  English  soil.  On  the  rugged  rocks  of 
New  England  the  Puritan  fitly  exemplified  the  truest  type  of 
Saxon  character,  and  his  stern  individuality  has  permeated 
and  controlled  our  entire  national  life.  The  moral  strength 
of  the  Saxon  holds  him  out  in  bold  relief  from  the  family  of 
races,  leading  mankind  to  a  higher  and  happier  sphere  of  ex 
istence,  as  the  snow-capped  mountain  peak  rears  its  hoary 
head  high  above  the  floating  clouds  and  gazes  out  from  the 
finite  to  the  infinite  and  eternal. 

Firm,  free,  and  true,  the  Saxon  element  is  destined  to  pene 
trate  civilization  with  enduring  power.  Widely  differing  from 
the  barbaric  splendor  of  the  ancients,  it  is  also  strongly  con 
trasted  with  the  highest  phases  of  modern  enlightenment. 
How  unlike  the  Celt,  whose  varying  course  of  life,  and  sudden 
leaps  from  the  depths  of  degradation  to  the  heights  of  glory 
and  renown,  have  kept  the  world  in  constant  wonderment. 
Fickle,  fiery,  pliable,  without  organizing  force,  his  grandest 
efforts  result  in  chaotic  confusion.  Incapable  of  self-govern 
ment  he  suffers  for  centuries  the  yoke  of  dire  despotism,  and 
then  in  one  vast  unorganized  bulk,  overturns  government  and 
establishes  anarchy.  Thus,  like  a  pendulum,  he  swings  back 
ward  and  forward,  from  tyranny  of  the  autocrat  to  the  tyranny 
of  the  mob,  ignorant  of  the  true  principles  of  government, 
until  touched  by  the  elements  of  that  higher  civilization  which 
is  gradually  assimilating  the  world.  The  genius  of  the  Celt  is 
the  child  of  circumstances;  the  genius  of  the  Saxon,  the  inevi 
table  result  of  continuous  effort.  The  one,  by  chance,  produces 
the  unbalanced  yet  brilliant  Gambetta,  the  other  through  the 
irresistible  logic  of  events  evolves  the  peerless  Gladstone,  a 
crowning  gem  in  Saxon  civilization. 


The  Saxon  FJcnicnt  in  Civilization.  139 

English  civilization  has  inoculated  the  world.  The  Czar  in 
his  snow-bound  palace  strives  to  imitate  English  methods. 
The  African  chieftain  traverses  oceans  to  ask  of  England's 
queen  the  secret  of  Saxon  civilization.  The  exclusive  Mongo 
lian  opens  wide  his  gates  and  hastens  to  adopt  English  customs. 
Saturating  all  society  with  his  subtile  power,  permeating  all 
phases  of  humanity,  infusing  his  spirit  into  the  life  of  every 
nation,  engrafting  the  product  of  past  civilizations  upon  the 
parent  stock  and  using  them  as  his  own,  transforming  the 
customs  of  the  world,  surpassing  the  Greek  in  beauty,  the 
Roman  in  strength,  the  ancient  in  philosophy,  the  modern  in 
science,  the  Saxon  continues  to  complete  his  divine  destiny, 
in  absorbing,  amalgamating  and  assimilating  mankind. 


JUDAS  ISCARIOT. 


By  CHARLES  T.  WYCKOFF,  of  Knox  College. 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 

Charles  Truman  Wyckoff  was  born  in  Farmington,  Illinois, 
the  1 6th  of  Octobe.r,  1861.  The  log  school  house  of  early 
childhood,  and  rude,  pine  desks,  well  whittled,  gave  place  in 
later  years  to  good  grammar  and  high  schools,  where  there  is 
less  of  whittling  and  more  of  true  education.  In  September  of 
1879  he  entered  Knox  College  and  academy.  Pie  took  a  mod 
erate  though  increasing  interest  in  the  exercises  of  composition 
and  elocution.  However  he  made  great  progress  in  these 
studies,  and  in '83  was  one  of  the  members  of  the  senior  and 
junior  classes  who  received  the  appointment  to  the  preliminary 
trial  for  a  contest  in  oratory.  The  subject,  "Judas  Iscariot," 
was  suggested  to  Mr.  Wyckoff  as  one  not  worn  threadbare. 
It  was  afterward  jokingly  said  his  success  was  due  partly  to  his 
audacity  in  taking  such  a  theme.  But  he  passed  the  trial 
which  made  him  the  representative  of  his  alma  mater.  On  this 
same  night  he  started  for  Dakota,  there  to  live  six  months  on 
a  claim.  October  5,  1883,  Judas,  though  such  a  villain,  was 
again  privileged  to  be  victorious  at  the  Illinois  inter-collegiate 
contest.  And  now  for  the  final  trial  —  inter-State  contest.  In 
May,  1884,  the  battle  was  on,  and  ended  in  "Judas  Iscariot" 
winning  first  prize.  After  graduating  from  Knox  College  Mr. 
Wyckoff  entered  the  Chicago  Theological  Seminary,  finishing 
the  course  in  1887.  On  invitation  from  the  faculty  ofKnox 
College  he  delivered  the  master's  oration,  "Judas  Maccabaeus," 
an  admirable  production.  Shorty  afterward  he  went  to  Japan, 
and  engaged  in  teaching  music  and  kindred  departments  in  the 
government  school  at  Osaka,  but  has  been  transferred  to  the 
Doshisha  School,  at  Kyoto.  He  is  recognized  as  an  able  in 
structor,  and  is  a  gentleman  who  commands  esteem. 

(140) 


Judas  hcariot. 


THE  ORATION. 

Delivered  at  the  Inter-State  Oratorical  Contest,  Iowa  City,  Iowa,  May 
1884,  taking  first  prize.  Judges:  Hon.  S.  M.  CLARK,  Col.  C.  A.  CLARK, 
Hon.  E.  H.  CONGER,  Prof.  N.  C.  DOUGHERTY,  Rev.  R.  NUTTING,  D.  D. 

The  hero-worship  of  the  world  has  made  few  mistakes. 
Party  spirit  may  blind  for  a  moment;  the  passions  of  men 
may  sway  the  judgment  for  a  time;  but  the  verdict  of  history 
seldom  errs.  In  that  tragedy  of  eighteen  centuries  ago  the 
clear,  white  light  of  a  character  supremely  divine,  falling  upon 
one  of  the  actors,  casts  a  heavy  shadow  across  the  field  of 
history  —  a  shadow  which  continues  to  lengthen  and  darken. 
Historical  criticism  and  philosophical  investigation  fail  to  dis 
perse  the  gloom  which  shrouds  the  character  of  the  Iscariot; 
nor  wipe  the  stain  from  his  name.  Each  generation  adds  its 
seal  to  the  verdict  of  condemnation.  Nevertheless  there  arc 
in  these  modern  days,  especially  among  the  Germans,  but  with 
a  following  among  us,  apologists  for  the  crime  of  Judas.  These 
apologists  say  that  the  arguments  to  prove  that  he  was  actuated 
by  the  motives  usually  attributed  to  him,  are  insufficient;  that 
the  cause  was  inadequate  to  the  result;  that  ambition  or  avarice 
never  would  have  impelled  him  to  a  crime  so  enormous  as  the 
betrayal.  What  exaltation  could  ambition  find  in  the  death  of 
Christ?  Could  avarice,  that  gloated  enviously  over  the  costly 
outpouring  of  the  alabaster  box  of  ointment,  be  induced  to 
commit  so  dark  a  crime  for  the  paltry  sum  of  thirty  pieces  of 
silver?  Judas  was  not  a  traitor  per  se,  but  upon  examination 
his  motives  are  bright  with  the  light  of  patriotism,  though  the 
result  be  shadowed  in  unanticipated  gloom. 

To  him  as  a  patriot  holding  the  popularity  of  the  prophecies, 
the  vision  of  Christ  coming  in  earthly  power  and  glory  as  King 
of  the  Jews  was  perfectly  natural,  lie  did  not  understand  the 
spiritual  attitude  of  Christ.  He  caught  no  glimpses  of  the 
divine  plan;  but  he  saw  the  iron  heel  of  the  Romans  crushing 
the  Jewish  nation  —  a  nation  which  had  bowed  its  neck  in  bond 
age  only  twice  in  its  long  history  —  once  in  the  early  dawn  of 
that  history  under  the  shadow  of  Egypt's  gigantic  temples  and 
palaces,  and  again  by  Babylon's  winding  rivers  and  floating 
gardens.  He  saw  the  people  worshiping  Christ  as  they  had 
worshiped  no  one  before.  Here  was  an  opportunity  to  drive 


142  Winning  Orations. 

the  Romans  back  to  their  homes  on  the  Tiber;  to  make  the 
Jewish  people  a  ruling  nation  again  with  Christ  as  their  king. 

All  this,  they  say,  and  more,  Judas  saw  and  felt  with  the 
burning,  passionate  fire  of  a  Jewish  patriot.  And  why  did  not 
Christ  accept  these  opportunities  when  all  seemed  ready  for 
such  action?  Once,  twice,  thrice,  aye,  many  times  had  the  cup 
of  kingly  power  been  pressed  to  his  lips,  and  as  many  times 
refused.  This  nature,  so  divine,  seemed  nevertheless  to  lack- 
something.  To  Judas  alone  it  was  clear.  This  inaction  was  the 
result  of  indecision  of  character.  This  fault  must  be  remedied 
lie  must  supply  the  lack.  He  must  precipitate  Christ  into 
such  a  crisis  that  he  would  be  compelled  to  exercise  in  his 
own  defense  that  mysterious  power  so  often  used  for  others. 
That  crisis  was  the  betrayal. 

Thus  the  defenders  of  the  Iscariot  endeavor  to  show  that 
Judas  was  not  impelled  to  the  betrayal  by  ambition  or  avarice; 
that  neither  of  these  was  sufficient  to  account  for  the  result; 
that  the  real  motive  was  patriotism,  and  the  betrayal  the  means 
by  which  he  hoped  to  elevate  Christ  to  the  kingship,  and  the 
Jews  to  the  leadership  among  the  nations. 

But  are  these  arguments  in  defense  of  the  Iscariot  valid? 
Was  he  a  patriot?  Does  his  general  character  harmonize  with 
such  a  supposition?  A  patriot  is  full  of  love  and  devotion. 
He  sacrifices  himself  for  his  country  and  his  people.  He  glows 
with  enthusiasm.  But  Judas  was  not  only  selfish  and  corrupt, 
he  was  also  morose  and  cynical.  There  was  no  feeling  in  his 
breast  which  could  sympathize  with  the  impulse  that  prompted 
Mary's  noble  gift.  Suspicion  of  others  was  continually  creep 
ing  into  his  mind,  and  the  dark,  flitting  shadows  of  burning 
passion  skulked  in  the  recesses  of  his  soul.  What  feeling  was 
there  here  to  knit  a  nation  together  for  victory,  to  stir  and 
thrill  men  to  deeds  worthy  of  heroes?  The  dark,  scowling 
countenance  of  Leonardo  da  Vinci's  Judas  well  expresses  his 
sinister  character. 

Not  only  his  character,  but  also  his  course  of  action  pre 
cludes  the  supposition  that  he  was  a  patriot.  As  a  patriot  he 
would  have  left  incomplete  no  arrangements  by  which  success 
might  be  insured  to  his  understanding.  But  not  even  a  hint 
was  given;  none  to  the  impetuous,  fiery  Peter;  none  to  the 
loving  John;  none  to  the  people  who  but  a  few  days  before 


Judas  hcariot,  143 

had  shouted  hosannas  to  the  son  of  David.  No  one  kne\v  of 
the  plan,  if  plan  there  were,  to  re-establish  the  Jewish  kingdom 
with  Christ  at  its  head,  save  the  dark,  silent  Man  of  Kerioth. 

Then,  again,  the  betrayal  took  place  at  the  lonely  hour  of 
midnight,  when  all  the  people  were  sleeping  after  the  busy  da)*. 
The  birds  had  ceased  their  singing  in  the  olive  groves  of 
Gethsemane,  and  nothing  was  heard  save  the  sounds  proceed 
ing  from  these  two  bands  —  Christ  with  his  disciples,  praying 
that  prayer  of  agony;  and  the  mob  of  soldiers  and  priests,  with 
their  lanterns  and  spears,  with  their  curses  and  eager  longings 
for  the  death  of  the  Nazarene.  The  hour  was  unfavorable  for 
patriotism,  but  favorable  for  perfidy.  No  patriot  would  have 
chosen  such  a  course.  In  such  circumstances  no  result  could 
be  expected  from  the  betrayal  but  the  death  of  the  betrayed. 

The  words  of  Christ  and  his  disciples  concerning  Judas, 
reveal  his  true  character.  Surely,  after  three  years'  intimate 
association  with  him,  these  chosen  companions,  better  than 
any  one  else,  understood  his  real  motives.  "Judas  Iscariot, 
who  also  betrayed  him,"  are  the  only  words  which  the  troubled, 
shuddering  heart  of  the  disciple  could  utter.  How  full  of 
terrible  import  the  words  of  Peter.  "He  went  to  his  own 
place."  Note  especially  the  words  of  the  beloved  disciple: 
"Then  Satan  entered  into  him."  As  on  a  wild  and  fitful  night 
the  angry  storm-fiends  wail  their  mournful  requiem  through 
the  air,  so  in  the  heart  of  Judas  rioted  and  raged  the  dark 
fiends  of  passion.  Think  you  there  was  patriotism  here? 

"Christ,"  says  John,  "needed  not  that  any  should  testify  of 
man;  for  He  knew  what  was  in  man."  But  what  says  this 
divine  reader  of  hearts;  "Father,  those  that  Thou  gavest  me 
I  have  kept,  and  none  of  them  are  lost  but  the  son  of  perdition." 
"Have  not  I  chosen  you  twelve,  and  one  of  you  is  a  devil?" 
And  if  the  Iscariot  had  been  a  patriot  would  Christ  have  said, 
"Judas,  betrayest  thou  the  Son  of  Man  with  a  kiss?"  Christ 
recognized  no  love  in  that  kiss;  no  warm,  patriotic  spirit  in 
that  greeting;  nothing  but  the  signal  for  betrayal  and  death. 

To  account  for  the  betrayal  of  such  a  Master,  avarice  is  in 
adequate;  but  as  an  opening  for  a  horde  of  more  malignant 
passions,  sufficient.  It  was  but  the  small  crevice  in  the  dike, 
through  which  a  sea  shall  yet  rush. 

And  what  were  these  more  malignant  passions?     Examine 


144  Winning  Orations. 

the  last  few  days  of  the  tragedy.  Go  back  to  Bethany,  to  that 
quiet  retreat  which  Christ  was  soon  to  leave  forever,  to  the 
supper  and  to  the  royal  anointing.  No  word  but  of  love  and 
adoration  had  been  spoken  by  that  little  company.  But  upon 
our  ears  grate  harshly  the  words  of  Judas  condemning  the 
waste  of  the  precious  perfume.  Out  of  harmony  and  out  of 
sympathy  with  the  spiritual  elevation  of  the  company,  Judas 
feels  more  than  ever  his  isolation.  The  fires  of  anger  and  hate, 
of  disappointment  and  revenge,  filled  his  heart.  These  pas 
sions  now  hold  him  fast,  and  as  he  leaves  the  feast  and  hurries 
along  the  dark  road  to  the  priests  at  Jerusalem,  the  mutterings 
of  the  coming  storm  are  in  his  soul. 

And  do  you  know  what  revenge  is  in  the  human  heart? 
How  it  pursues  its  victim,  unrelenting,  unpitying,  through  lapse 
of  years  and  length  of  distance,  till  at  last  the  fearful  end  is 
reached?  Then  he  who  so  lately  pursued  is  hunted  to  the 
death  by  the  dread  furies  of  remorse.  Then  Judas,  blinded  by 
rage  and  hate,  with  silent  longing  for  revenge  burning  in  his 
heart,  followed  his  victim.  Then  came  the  betrayal;  then  the 
suicide  of  despair.  Not  till  Christ  has  been  condemned  and 
the  wild  shouts  of  "Crucify  Him"  fall  on  his  ears  does  Judas 
begin  to  realize  the  enormity  of  his  crime.  Then,  indeed,  con 
science  shows  him  the  dark  path  he  has  been  treading,  and  the 
awful  precipice  of  guilt  to  which  he  has  brought  himself.  He 
is  overwhelmed  with  bitter  heart-rending  remorse,  in  which  is 
no  pulsation  of  sorrow  or  repentance,  but  only  the  dark,  wild 
despair  of  evil  beholding  itself.  The  thorn-crowned  head  turns 
upon  him  with  a  look  of  unutterable  reproach  and  sorrow. 
Now  the  divine  face  vanishes,  and  the  air  is  "with  dreadful 
faces  thronged  and  fiery  arms."  The  satanic  legions  exult  in 
fiendish  glee  over  the  fallen  man.  They  crowd  around  him; 
they  mock  at  his  remorse;  they  jeer  at  him;  they  seize  him 
and  drag  him,  shuddering  to  their  own  gloomy  abode. 

Thus  fell  the  Iscariot  into  the  dark  depths  of  his  own  con 
demnation.  Thus  the  verdict  of  Judas  himself,  the  verdict  of 
Christ,  the  verdict  of  all  the  following  ages,  is  our  verdict- 
Judas  was  a  traitor. 


THE  UNITY  OF  SCIENCE  AND  RELIGION. 


By  GEORGE  L.  MACKINTOSH,  of  Wabash  College. 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 

George  L.  Mackintosh  was  born  in  Gugsboro  County,  Nova 
Scotia,  January  I,  1859,  and  is  of  Scotch  parentage.  The  first 
twelve  years  of  his  life  were  spent  on  his  father's  farm.  He 
then  attended  the  Academy  at  New  Glasgow;  later  taught 
school.  In  the  fall  of  1878  he  removed  to  the  United  States. 
Shortly  after  his  arrival  he  entered  Wabash  College,  Crawfords- 
ville,  Indiana.  He  was  a  faithful  student,  and  graduated  in 
1884.  After  leaving  college  he  studied  law,  but  subsequently 
studied  for  the  ministry.  His  first  charge  was  as  pastor  of  the 
Presbyterian  Church  at  Winamac,  Indiana,  where  he  still  faith 
fully  serves.  He  delivered  the  second  prize  oration,  printed 
on  the  following  pages,  when  a  student  of  Wabash  College. 
It  is  an  excellent  oration,  and  the  product  of  a  only  a  week's 
labor. 


THE  ORATION. 

Delivered  at  the  Inter-State  Oratorical  Contest,  Iowa  City,  Iowa,  May, 
1884,  taking  second  prize.  Judges:  Hon.  S.  M.  CLARK,  Col.  C.  A.  CLARK, 
Hon.  E.  H.  CONGER,  Prof.  N.  C.  DOUGHERTY,  Rev.  R.  NUTTING,  D.  D. 

Men  seldom  seek  truth  for  its  own  sake.  The  personal  and 
professional  element  enters  largely  into  all  their  investigations. 
Theologians  are  more  eager  to  uphold  their  theology,  and 
scientists  to  defend  their  theories,  than  is  either  to  strive  for 
truth  in  its  broad  and  comprehensive  unity.  This  tendency 
in  man's  nature,  while  it  has  imperative  uses,  has  led  to  nearly 
all  the  conflicts  and  disputes  of  the  world  of  thought.  Most 
of  all  has  it  caused  the  seeming  discord  between  some  of  the 
truths  of  religion  and  science.  Through  the  whole  course  of 
human  thought  this  antagonism  has  prevailed.  Two  principles 

(145) 


146  Winning  Orations. 

seems  to  run  parallel  in  every  age  and  civilization,  and,  indeed, 
in  each  individual  mind.  The  one  is  embodied  in  empirical 
science;  the  other,  in  religious  faith.  Intellect  is  the  controll 
ing  force  of  the  first;  reverence,  of  the  second.  The  former  is 
iconoclastic  and  aggressive;  the  latter,  conservative  and  re 
straining.  Developed  in  harmony,  they  are  the  counter-balanc 
ing  forces  on  whose  nice  adjustment  must  ever  depend  the 
symmetrical  advancement  of  the  human  race.  But  if  either  is 
advanced  at  the  sacrifice  of  the  other,  harmony  of  movement 
is  destroyed,  and  beneficent  progress  is  impossible.  Religious 
faith  without  intellectual  enlightenment  is  superstition.  In 
tellect  without  the  restraining  influences  of  religion  inevitably 
drifts  into  atheism  and  despair.  Pendulum-like  the  world  has 
swung  from  one  to  the  other  of  these  extremes.  On  the  one 
hand  we  have  the  unquestioning  faith  and  reasoning  supersti 
tion  of  the  Middle  Ages;  on  the  other,  the  impious  audacity 
and  coarse  materialism  of  the  French  philosophers.  The 
former  reduced  a  beautiful  and  lofty  faith  almost  to  fetishism; 
the  latter  raised  reason  and  shame  to  the  throne  of  Divinity. 
Each  in  turn  had  overstepped  its  proper  boundaries,  and  as 
sumed  to  itself  the  whole  province  of  thought.  Each  had 
scornfully  rejected  the  claims  of  the  other  in  order  to  secure 
absolute  power  to  itself. 

Even  in  the  nineteenth  century  the  conflict  for  supremacy 
goes  on  with  unabated  vigor.  Once  more  to-day  we  are  told, 
in  no  modest  terms,  that  this  is  the  age  of  science;  that  science 
is  the  light  of  the  world,  before  which  the  penny  rush-lights  of 
religion  must  inevitably  pale  into  insignificance.  What,  then, 
is  this  mighty  science?  Science  is  what  man  knows  of  sensi 
ble  things  and  their  relations,  and  its  utmost  bounds  are  man's 
capacity  to  know.  With  indomitable  courage  science  has  gone 
forth  to  meet  the  mystery  that  confronts  it.  From  star  to 
atom  it  has  left  no  field  untried.  Measuring  illimitable  spaces 
or  gauging  a  molecule,  calculating  the  age  of  a  planet  or  an 
insect,  it  is  ever  patient,  persistent,  and  daring.  No  nook  of 
visible  creation  has  escaped  its  penetrating  eye.  Its  ambition 
knows  no  bounds.  To  build  a  pyramid  from  whose  lofty  sum 
mit  the  whole  domain  of  knowledge  might  be  surveyed  has 
ever  been  its  cheering  and  inspiring  hope.  In  pursuance  of 
this  design  individual  facts  are  classified;  classes  are  systema- 


Tlic  Unity  of  Science  and  Religion.  147 

tized  and  united  in  the  idea  of  unvarying  law.  Here  science 
ends.  And  what  is  law?  Is  this  a  word  to  conjure  with  and 
climb  the  empyrean  of  divinity?  "Law,"  says  Montesquieu, 
"is  the  necessary  relations  that  arise  from  the  nature  of  things." 
Has  science,  then,  in  reaching  a  law  established  an  ultimate 
principle?  Docs  the  law  of  gravitation  keep  the  planets  in 
their  orbits  and  maintain  the  harmony  of  the  spheres?  Doe.; 
the  law  of  evolution  generate  genus  and  species?  Law  is  but 
the  method  of  force.  Law  is  a  pure  abstraction.  Beyond  law 
must  be  the  real  impelling  force,  and  of  this  science  gives  no 
explanation.  All  science  falls  short  of  the  final  explanation  of 
things.  Astronomy  ends  with  the  nebular  hypothesis;  chem 
istry,  with  the  atomic  theory;  and  geology  fades  into  the  illim 
itable  ages  of  the  past.  Physical  science  reaches  out  in  every 
direction,  and  is  met  at  all  points  by  a  blind,  impenetrable  in 
finity.  It  is  indeed  a  torch  in  the  night,  but  as  it  grows  brighter 
it  only  renders  more  palpable  the  darkness  beyond.  As  it  is 
multipled  it  only  widens  the  circle  of  the  unknown. 

If  science  is  unable  to  solve  the  problems  of  the  physical 
universe,  how  shall  it  answer  the  questions  of  a  higher  existence  ? 
Astronomy  may  calculate  the  almost  infinite  path  of  a  comet, 
but  what  science  the  dying  emperor's  question,  "Whither  goest 
thou,  oh  my  soul?"  Chemistry  may  resolve  the  physical  uni 
verse  into  its  elements,  but  what  magic  art  has  analyzed  a 
single  human  emotion?  Biology  may  trace  the  descent  of 
species  and  reveal  a  plausible  evolution,  but  who  has  found  the 
germ  of  being?  In  the  depths  of  every  human  soul,  in  the 
dreams  of  sleep,  in  every  flower  that  lifts  its  head  to  heaven, 
in  every,  senseless,  useless  clod  is  lodged  a  mystery  far  trans 
cending  scientific  skill  to  comprehend. 

Must  we  then  agree  with  Compte  that  in  "positive  science" 
the  range  of  thought  is  exhausted?  Must  we  reject  all  we  can 
not  comprehend,  reduce  all  our  views  and  beliefs  to  the  five 
senses,  make  human  nature  but  the  refined  brutish  instinct,  and 
this  short  pittance  of  time  our  only  immortality?  From  such 
dismal  conclusions  of  the  intellect,  the  soul  instinctively  recoils 
and  finds  within  itself  a  protest  against  such  petty  limits. 
From  other  than  scientific  sources  comes  positive  knowledge. 
From  the  depths  of  consciousness  comes  certain  proof  that 
beyond  all  this  array  of  phenomena  and  from  there  reigns 


148  Winning  Orations. 

supernal  power.  The  institutions  of  the  soul  are  real  phenom 
ena,  and  they  connect  man  with  an  infinite  invisible  to  which 
mere  science  can  never  attain.  This  is  evinced  in  the  common 
consciousness  of  mankind.  It  is  seen  in  the  sculpture  of  the 
Greeks  and  the  painting  of  the  great  masters.  It  is  found  in 
the  Vedas,  the  Koran,  and  the  Bible.  It  is  typified  in  the 
Valhalla  of  the  wild  Norsemen,  and  the  Nirvana  of  the  stolid 
Burmese.  It  is  sung  in  every  line  of  genuine  poetry,  from 
Homer  to  Tennyson.  It  is  proved  by  the  temples  of  the  past 
and  the  living  faiths  of  the  present.  Through  every  age  and 
civilization  this  idea  has  run  like  a  thread  of  gold,  and  modern 
science  from  its  very  inability  to  destroy  it  only  adds  another 
proof  to  the  accumulated  evidence  of  the  ages. 

It  matters  not  that  astronomy  has  demonstrated  the  infin 
ities  of  heavenly  motion;  beyond  all  is  the  Omnipotent  Power 
that  sways  the  whole.  It  matters  not  that  geology  has  shown 
the  earth  to  be  a  child  of  law;  law  is  an  index  of  divinity.  It 
matters  not  that  biology  has  shown  an  evolution  in  the  organic 
world;  at  the  ultimate  term  of  the  series,  though  that  term  be 
infinity  itself,  stands  the  first  great  cause.  Beyond  the  reach  of 
human  sense  is  found  the  larger  arc  of  the  great  circle  of  truth. 
Here,  where  science  can  never  go  with  hammer,  or  scalpel,  or 
telescope,  lies  the  distinctive  region  of  faith.  Here,  where 
science  ends,  religious  faith  takes  up  the  argument  and  carries 
it  to  its  logical  conclusions,  far  into  the  domain  of  the  infinite. 

Some  have  speculated  on  the  religion  of  the  future,  and 
predict  a  time  when  all  religion  shall  dwindle  to  the  proportions 
of  a  classic  myth.  They  have  ill  studied  the  soul  in  its  higher 
relations  who  indulge  in  such  speculations.  Religion  of  some 
kind  is  a  necessity  to  human  existence.  It  is  the  aggregate  of 
those  forces  which  most  clearly  distinguish  man-  from  the 
brute.  It  is  the  law  of  the  soul  as  much  as  gravitation  is  the 
law  of  matter.  Whatever  forms  it  may  assume,  under  whatever 
aspect  it  may  appear,  so  long  as  man  is  man  religious  sentiment 
must  endure.  It  contains  elements  of  truth  that  are  eternal. 
They  were  true  when  the  stars  sang  together  at  the  birth  of 
creation.  They  will  be  true  when  the  last  man  stands  on  "this 
bank  and  shoal  of  time." 

Truth  often  presents  to  man  a  fragmentary  and  uncertain 
aspect.  ]  ut  a  keener  vision  arid  a  steadier  gaze  reveal  a  har- 


TJie  Unity  of  Science  and  Religion.  \  49 

monious  unity.  This  is  the  eternal  truth  of  which  science  and 
religion  are  but  the  infinitesimal  fragments.  From  this  stand 
point  all  petty  conflicts  and  disputes  fade  into  mere  nothing 
ness;  the  spectre  of  human  prejudice  is  removed  and  the 
pure  white  light  of  God  is  revealed.  In  this  faith  \ve  hope  and 
believe  that  those  forces,  which  at  times  seem  antagonistic, 
are  in  reality  the  beautifully  adjusted  parts  of  a  great  whole, 
and  that  all  human  wisdom,  science,  and  philosophy,  will  yet 
be  grouped  in  a  harmonious,  beneficent  unity.  Somewhere 
there  must  be  a  border-land,  as  yet  dim  and  uncertain,  where 
science  is  religion  and  religion  science;  and  where  both  unite  to 
form  a  colossal  eminence  from  which  man  may,  with  some 
philosophy,  survey  the  highway  of  existence  stretching  from 
the  present  to  the  limitless  future.  Here  is  the  pyramid  which 
neither  faith  nor  science  can  build  unaided,  but  which  both 
may  raise  to  form  the  highest  excellence  of  human  wisdom. 
Here,  at  last,  the  unity  of  truth  will  in  some  degree  unfold  itself 
to  mortal  sight. 

When  not  science  or  philosophy  or  anything  else  but  truth 
shall  be  the  pole-star  of  thoughtful  men;  when  science,  philos 
ophy,  and  revelation,  shall  move  in  converging  lines;  when 
scientists  shall  be  theologians  and  theologians  scientists;  when 
all  sects  may  pitch  their  tents  in  harmony  on  the  broad  field 
of  a  generous  philosophy,  then  will  the  destiny  of  the  human 
race  be  fulfilled  and  the  grand  epic  of  civilization  completed. 


THE  CONFLICT  OF  LABOR  AND  CAPITAL. 


By  ALBERT  J.  BEVERIDGE,  of  DePauw  University. 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 

Albert  J.  Beveridge  was  born  in  Highland  County,  Ohio, 
October  6,  1862.  While  yet  a  child  his  parents  removed  to 
Moultrie  County,  Illinois,  where  he  worked  on  the  farm,  and 
in  the  logging  camps  cutting  and  hauling  logs,  until  he  entered 
DePauw  University,  Greencastle,  Indiana.  He  graduated  from 
this  institution  in  1885,  and  paid  his  way  with  money  earned 
during  vacations  and  prize  money  won  during  his  college 
terms,  having  won  every  contest  in  which  he  took  part  during 
his  entire  course.  His  masterly  effort,  "The  Conflict  of  Labor 
and  Capital,"  he  delivered  at  the  inter-State  contest  of  1885, 
and  won  first  prize.  In  1884  he  stumped  the  State  of  Indiana, 
under  the  direction  of  the  Republican  State  Central  Committee. 
He  has  spoken  during  every  State  and  national  campaign  since 
then,  under  the  direction  of  the  State  Central  Committee.  In 
December,  1885,  he  began  the  study  of  law  with  McDonald, 
Butler  &  Mason,  at  Indianapolis,  and  upon  the  dissolution  of 
this  firm,  in  1887,  was  made  chief  law  clerk  of  the  firm  of 
McDonald  &  Butler,  until  he  opened  his  own  office  in  January, 
1889.  He  has  enjoyed  a  profitable  practice,  with  steady  and 
rapid  growth;  his  specialities  being  corporation  and  commer 
cial  law.  He  was  married  November  24,  1887,  to  Miss  Kate 
Maud  Langsdale,  of  Greencastle,  and  they  now  reside  in  their 
happy  home  on  Christian  Avenue,  Indianapolis,  Indiana.  Mr. 
Beveridge  has  attracted  much  attention  through  his  legal 
efficiency,  especially  in  the  cases  of  State  of  Indiana  ex  rcl. 
Yancey  v.  Hyde,  22  Northeastern  Reporter,  644;  and  the  State 
of  Indiana  ex  rel.  Worrel  v.  Peelle,  22  Northeastern  Reporter, 
654,  and  24  Northeastern  Reporter,  440.  Mr.  Beveridge  repre 
sented  Messrs.  Yancey  and  Worrel,  which  cases  arose  because 
of  the  conflict  between  Governor  and  Legislature. 

(15°) 


The  Conflict  of  Labor  and  Capital.  151 


THE  ORATION. 

Delivered  at  the  Inter-State  Oratorical  Contest,  Columbus,  Ohio,  May, 
1885,  taking  rirst  prize.  Judges:  Rev.  H.  \V.  BAYLISS,  Hon.  S.  M.  CLARK, 
Hon.  J.  W.  HALLSIJAY,  tiov.  H  JAIM.F.Y.  Dr.  E.  K.  YOUNG,  Dr.  J.  HECKMAN. 

GENKKAL   ANALYSIS. 
INTRODUCTION. 

I.  Principle  originating  most  conflicts. 

II.  Principle  solving  such  conflicts. 

III.  Application  of  above  to  conflict  of  labor  and  capital. 
DISCUSSION. 

I.  Importance  of  the  labor  problem. 

II.  Social  extremists  already  moving. 

III.  Positions  of  these  social  extremists. 

IV.  Positions  of  social  extremists  refuted. 

V.  Our  present  society  equal  to  the  problem. 

VI.  True  causes  of  the  conflict. 

VII.  True  remedy  the  removal  of  these  causes. 

VIII.  Forces  preventing  removal  of  these  causes. 

IX.  These  forces  must  therefore  be  overcome. 

X.  Methods  of  overcoming  them. 
CLOSE. 

I.  Summary. 

Most  conflicts  result  from  reactions.  The  French  Revolu 
tion  was  a  reaction  against  the  oppression  of  caste,  with  Rous 
seau  to  lead  it.  Skepticism  is  a  reaction  against  conservative 
creed,  an  Ingersoll  leading  it.  Socialism  is  the  reaction  of 
labor  against  capital,  Henry  George  leading  it. 

Such  extremes  can  never  solve  a  problem.  Upon  the  pas 
sionless  heights  between,  whence  unprejudiced  reason  may 
sweep  the  whole  field  of  thought,  is  ever  found  the  compre 
hensive  truth.  The  French  Revolution  resulted  in  the  rejection 
of  extremes  —  the  union  of  individual  liberty  and  social  re 
straint.  Eventually  science  and  dogma  must  reject  extremes; 
faith  and  reason  must  unite.  The  solution  of  the  labor  problem 
must  be  the  abandonment  of  extremes  —  the  union  of  labor 
and  capital. 

This  conflict  is  filling  the  universal  mind,  dictating  political 
platforms,  anon  bursting  into  riots  and  strikes,  like  the  com 
plaining  murmurs  of  a  coming  storm.  But  eight  years  since, 
it  kindled  the  flames  at  Pittsburg,  and  sent  terror  to  every  city 
in  our  land;  it  inspired  the  late  riots  in  Hocking  Valley  and 
South  Bend,  and  waxing  fiercer  and  fiercer,  running  bullets 


152  Winning  Orations. 

unseen,  mustering  forces  invisible,   it  will,  if  unchecked,  one 
day  rouse  us  with  drum-beat  and  bugle-call. 

Increasing  population  brings  it  each  day  nearer.  Already 
we  have  1,000,000  unemployed  men;  already  2,000,000  laborers 
secretly  organized;  already  fifty  newspapers  spreading  sedition 
and  excess;  and  our  population  is  doubling  every  twenty-five 
years! 

Great  cities  cradle  this  conflict.  With  a  Chicago,  a  New 
York,  a  San  Francisco,  a  score  of  cities  like  Paris,  what  must 
we  expect?  With  a  hundred  equal  to  Marseilles,  what?  When 
the  fortunes  of  Vanderbilts,  ill-gotten,  ill-kept,  are  filling  the 
masses  with  bitterness,  what?  Ah!  was  Macaulay  dreaming 
when  he  told  of  our  coming  Huns  and  Vandals?  Was  Wendell 
Phillips  a  madman  when  he  said  that  the  problem  of  the  rich 
and  poor  would  yet  try  our  souls  as  slavery  never  tried  them? 
A  problem,  this,  to  which  we  must  address  ourselves  now,  ere 
extremists  throw  labor  and  capital  into  armed  conflict. 

Already  these  extremists  are  moving.  Already  in  behalf 
of  toiling  poverty  have  such  intellects  as  Rousseau,  La  Salle, 
and  George,  proclaimed  war  against  our  social  system.  They 
represent  ideas,  and  they  must  be  heard;  for  an  idea,  glowing 
with  the  immortality  of  some  man's  convictions,  can  not  be 
silenced  but  by  convincing  argument. 

These  extremists  demand  the  overthrow  of  our  social  sys 
tem.  They  ask:  "Why  this  vice  and  wretchedness  among  the 
poor?  Why  have  they  not  equal  happiness  with  the  rich? 
Because  society  is  unjust;  conditions  unequal.  Because  one 
man  owns  a  thousand  acres  while  his  neighbor  is  famishing." 
Their  remedy  is,  "Right  the  injustice;  make  property  common, 
as  air  is  common,  and  sunlight  and  starlight;  make -conditions 
equal,  as  nature  made  them  equal.  With  poverty  swept  away 
the  cause  of  the  theft  and  murder  and  misery  will  be  gone." 

But  their  argument  rests  on  false  premises.  Vice,  sloth  and 
attendant  wretchedness  prevail,  not  because  of  poverty;  pov 
erty  prevails  because  of  them.  It  is  the  old,  old  problem  of 
human  nature  and  its  frailty,  and  human  nature  they  disregard. 

Is  their  remedy  just?  What  gives  property  its  value?  Some 
man's  toil;  some  man's  thought.  Yonder  marsh  is  worthless; 
drain  it  and  it  teems  with  richness.  Is  it  right,  when  one 
man  gave  it  value,  for  all  to  enjoy  it  equally?  Manifestly  not. 


77/6'  Conflict  of  Labor  and  Capital.  153 

Equality  of  condition  is  neither  right  nor  natural.  Great  capac 
ity  deserves  more  than  mean  capacity.  An  Edison  deserves 
more  than  his  engineer.  The  parable  of  the  talents  flashes 
back  the  vision  of  justice,  and  upon  justice  is  society  founded; 
and  though  the  rains  descend  and  the  floods  come  and  the 
winds  blow  and  beat  upon  it,  it  shall  not  fall,  for  it  is  founded 
upon  a  rock. 

Their  remedy  is  as  impossible  as  it  is  unjust.  Could  you 
make  property  common,  condition  equal?  Who  should  dwell 
upon  the  shores  of  the  Hudson?  Who  amid  Arizona's  sage- 
bush?  Who  should  choose?  Who  decide?  Would  there  be 
no  favoritism,  no  fraud,  no  dissatisfaction?  Ah,  look  just  be 
yond  this  frost-work  of  socialism,  and  there  flashes  the  bayo 
nets  and  the  swords,  rough-ground  of  anarchy,  aye  —  grim  and 
blackened  warriors  stand  to  their  smoking  guns!  Equality  of 
condition  is  impossible  until  sunlit  mountain  and  laughing 
valley  are  level  plains,  climate  uniform,  and  all  men  equals  in 
body  and  in  brain.  Indeed,  men  are  like  nature;  here  a  crag, 
and  yonder  a  dell;  there  a  Jungfrau  with  beetling  cliffs  and 
crown  of  snow,  yonder  a  generous  plain;  anon  a  dismal  swamp 
where  pestilence  broods. 

Equalize  conditions  and  every  motive  to  effort  dies.  No 
sweat  of  brow,  no  sweat  of  brain,  never  a  glorious  deed  nor  work 
of  genius  if  improved  condition  does  not  reward  it.  Better  the 
whirlwind  of  enterprise  than  the  dreamless  sleep  of  such  equal 
ity.  Voiceless  yet  would  be  the  golden  harp  of  Shakespeare, 
silent  the  song  of  Milton,  still  the  fair}-  fingers  of  Mozart, 
unfilled  with  westward  winds  Columbus's  sails,  unreared  our 
temples  of  learning,  and  wrapped  in  the  shadows  of  a  dream 
undreamt  this  mighty  civilization,  but  for  the  magic  touch  o! 
private  enterprise. 

No,  not  equality  of  condition,  equality  of  privilege  is  the 
principle  of  justice.  Equal  privileges  to  build  fortunes  if  one- 
can;  to  lead  armies,  if  one  can;  to  be  an  Humboldt,  if  one  can. 
This  principle  it  was  that  gave  us  liberty;  that  handed  the  in 
stant  lightnings  down  to  Lincoln;  that  stormed  those  heights 
at  Lookout  —  equality  of  privilege  —  and  the  tattered  battle- 
flags,  torn  by  the  shells  at  Yorktown,  at  Shiloh,  at  Gettysburg; 
the  monuments  of  those  who  fell  upon  the  furrowed  fields 
where  our  heroes  fought  for  the  rights  of  men,  calls  upon  us 


154  Winning  Orations. 

to  preserve  that  principle  forever!  God  grant  that  the  day 
may  never  dawn  when  socialism  attempts  to  execute  its  theory, 
for  the  sun  of  that  day  will  set  red  amid  the  roar  of  cannon,  and 
upon  the  ruins  of  our  Republic  some  Caesar  may  build  his 
throne! 

Is  our  society,  then,  sufficient  to  solve  this  problem?  Yes. 
In  the  name  of  popular  education,  in  the  name  of  temperance 
reform,  in  the  name  of  Him  of  Nazareth,  it  is  indeed  sufficient. 

But  if  society  is  equal  to  the  question,  why  the  conflict? 
The  solution  means  the  removal  of  the  cause.  What,  then,  is 
the  cause  of  the  conflict?  Not  society's  injustice?  No.  It  re 
sults  because  right  relations  are  distorted;  because  demagogues 
have  cut  the  cords  of  confidence  binding  labor  and  capital 
together.  Mutual  distrust  is  the  moving  spirit.  Labor  and 
capital  forget  what  each  owes  the  other.  Capital  forgets  that 
labor  creates  its  wealth;  that  labor  is  human,  with  sacred  rights; 
forgets  that  "rank  is  but  the  guinea's  stamp,  the  man's  the  gold 
for  a'  that;"  forgets  this,  and  fixes  wages,  not  where  they  should 
be,  but  as  low  as  labor  can  live  upon.  Labor  forgets  that  cap 
ital  alone  can  give  it  employment;  that  capital,  like  all  force, 
must  be  massed  to  accomplish  great  ends,  and  that  scattered 
it  would  be  powerless  as  the  shorn  Sampson;  forgets  that  labor 
receives  95  per  cent,  and  capital  but  5  per  cent,  of  all  the  value 
industry  creates,  and  that  capital  is  the  directing  force  which 
renders  this  industry  possible;  forgets  that  the  true  nobility  of 
labor  is  "brave  struggling,  not  repining;"  that  every  force  to 
day  is  lifting  labor  up.  Let  the  toiler  pause  and  think.  For 
his  sake  thrones  are  falling  and  the  world  is  yielding  to  the 
royalty  of  thought  and  toil.  For  his  sake  science  searches  the 
mystery  of  force  and  life,  and,  at  the  portals  of  the  tomb,  al 
most  grasps  the  mystery  of  death.  Every  influence  —  college 
or  church,  statesman's  thought  or  law  of  matter  —  whatever  to 
day  is  a  living  force  is  shaping  in  this  century  the  golden  age 
of  the  workingman;  yet,  under  all,  is  the  hand  of  capital  guid 
ing,  moulding,  building.  Labor  and  capital  must  remember 
these  things;  labor  must  remember  that  capitalists  deserve 
more  than  workingmen  for  the  foresight  and  responsibility 
that  create  enterprise;  capital  must  give  labor  the  wages  of 
justice  —  wages  that  rise  and  fall  when  profits  rise  and  fall;  con- 


The  Conflict  of  Labor  and  Capital.  155 

fidence  must  be  restored,  and  this  problem  will  vanish  like  frost 
in  a  flood  of  sunshine. 

But  confidence  is  impossible  while  three  classes  remain  — 
the  ignorant,  the  criminal,  and  the  poor;  and  if  the  school  can 
not  overcome  the  ignorant,  the  church  the  criminal,  and  both 
united  to  temperance  the  indigent,  then  alas  for  the  future  of 
society! 

Thus  universal  education  becomes  a  social  necessity.  Ignor 
ant  labor  can  not  reason  justly.  It  is  the  ready  victim  of  every 
plausible  fallacy.  To  ignorant  labor  capital  seems  the  tyrant, 
whose  burdens  it  has  borne  through  storm  and  blast  with  rags 
and  hunger  as  its  only  recompense.  Well  may  capital  tremble 
when  political  power  is  in  the  hands  of  ignorant  poverty.  You 
cannot  remove  the  power;  you  must  destroy  the  class;  you 
must  enlighten  labor.  Enlightened  labor  can  think  rightly. 
It  knows  that  capital  is  the  motor  of  the  age.  It  is  ever  chang 
ing  places  with  capital  —  the  incompetent  heir  with  the  able 
employee.  Enlighten  labor,  and  our  ignorant  class  fades  away 
like  the  memory  of  a  troubled  dream. 

But  whence  the  criminal  and  indigent?  The  victims  of 
capital?  Not  so.  Question  statistics,  and  from  the  darkest 
page  comes  the  answer:  Our  poor  spend  $1,000,000,000  even- 
year  for  intoxicants.  Labor,  worth  $1,000,000,000  more,  is 
yearly  incapacitated  by  intoxicants.  Three-fifths  of  all  pov 
erty,  nine-tenths  of  all  crime,  comes  from  intoxicants.  Here 
is  the  efficient  cause  of  poverty,  vice,  and  distrust.  This  is 
more  than  sentiment;  it  is  danger.  The  $2,000,000,000  yearly 
taken  from  labor  must  be  saved — an  economy  which,  almost 
alone,  will  eliminate  the  criminal  and  indigent  classes. 

But  of  itself  it  can  not  solve  this  problem.  The  great  need 
of  our  business  civilization  is  conscience.  It  alone  can  establish, 
absolute  confidence  between  labor  and  capital.  Capital  with 
out  conscience  means  tyranny;  labor  without  conscience,  an 
archy.  Out  from  the  shades  of  Gethsemene,  out  from  the  riven 
tomb,  He  of  the  thorn-crowned  head  is  walking  down  the 
troubled  ages,  lifting  from  bruised  and  staggering  man  the 
burden  of  his  woes,  speaking  conscience  to  every  soul;  and 
here,  where  Christianity  is  the  basis  of  society;  here  where 
childhood's  first  lispings  learn  at  mother's  knee  and  from 
mother's  lips  the  story  of  that  Ineffable  One,  we  know  that 


156  Winning  Orations. 

conscience  may  be  a  universal  fact.  Back  of  Christian  faith 
lies  conscience;  back  of  conscience,  confidence.  The  church 
must  come  to  the  rescue  of  our  conscience,  shipwrecked  as  it 
well-nigh  is  in  the  tempest  of  this  century's  struggle  for  gain. 
Capital  must  be  humanized;  labor  must  be  Christianized. 
Christain  labor  is  the  sublimest  force  in  history.  It  awoke  to 
the  morning  cry  of  Paul  Revere,  and  rallied  on  the  green  at 
Lexington;  out  from  the  yearning  arms  of  home  it  marched 
into  the  flame  of  battle,  and  sent  God's  thunder-bolts  smoking 
against  our  national  sin  —  marched  forth,  not  for  itself,  but  for 
the  slave;  and  to  Christian  labor  our  hope  must  be  anchored 
in  this  conflict  of  to-day.  But  faithless  labor;  let  that  proces 
sion  which  yesterday  marched  through  Chicago  declaring  rob 
bery  just;  let  the  barricades  of  Paris;  let  these  show  the  fury 
of  labor  without  conscience,  without  God.  Then  let  the  song 
of  Bethlehem's  morning  stars  peal  on,  peal  on,  till  its  melody 
touches  every  troubled  spirit;  touches  them  in  the  vaults  of 
greed,  in  the  homes  of  the  lowly,  in  the  camps  of  sin  —  touches 
and  soothes  and  wins.  Let  the  bugles  of  conscience  sound  the 
truce  of  God  through  the  whole  world  forever! 

When  the  barriers  to  mutual  trust  have  been  leveled  —  and 
they  will  be;  when  we  have  a  sober,  an  intelligent,  and  a  Chris 
tian  people- — and  we  will  have  them  —  the  sounds  of  this  con 
flict  will  die  away,  as  the  distant  thunders  of  a  stormy  night 
recede  and  die  before  the  breaking  of  a  summer's  dawn.  With 
confidence  established  right-relations  will  result,  labor  and 
capital  will  join  hands,  and  this  problem  will  be  solved. 

"A  glory  shines  before  us 
Of  what  mankind  shall  be  — 
Pure,  generous,  brave,  and  free: 
A  dream  of  man  and  woman, 
Diviner  still,  but  human, 
Solving  the  problem  old, 
Shaping  the  age  of  gold. 
Ring  bells,  in  unreared  steeples, 
The  joy  of  unborn  peoples; 
Sound  trumpets,  far  off  blown, 
Your  triumph  is  our  own." 


w^ 


SCHILLER  AND   GERMANY. 


By  VICTOR  E.  BENDER,  of  Knox  College. 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch,  Victor  E.  Bender,  is  of  German 
parentage,  born  in  Granville,  Illinois,  September,  1861.  He 
received  a  common  school  education,  graduating  from  the 
high  school  of  that  village  at  the  age  of  sixteen,  in  1878.  For 
the  next  two  years  he  taught  school  in  a  German  settlement 
three  miles  from  Granville,  teaching  the  English  branches  half 
of  the  day,  and  the  other  half  was  given  to  instruction  in  Ger 
man.  During  these  two  years  the  thought  foremost  in  the 
mind  of  the  young  man  was  to  acquire  a  college  training,  and 
to  this  end  he  secured  a  position  as  librarian  in  Illinois  College, 
at  Jacksonville.  An  accident  prevented  him  from  entering 
upon  his  duties  at  the  time  contemplated,  and  so  he  was  com 
pelled  to  surrender  the  position  and  continue  to  teach  another 
year.  In  the  fall  of  1881  he  entered  the  scientific  department 
of  Knox  College,  Galesburg,  Illinois,  with  the  intention  of 
continuing  until  his  finances  were  exhausted,  and  trusting  to  a 
vague  providence  for  further  resources.  In  his  junior  year  he 
was  appointed  one  of  six  students  in  a  local  contest  in  oratory, 
in  which  three  juniors  and  three  seniors  participated!  Mr. 
Bender  secured  the  first  prize,  the  subject  of  his  oration  being 
"Schiller  and  Germany."  This  subject  was  suggested  by  the 
speaker's  close  association  with  Germans  and  German  litera 
ture.  The  winning  of  the  first  prize  in  this  contest  entitled  him 
to  twenty  dollars  and  the  privilege  of  representing  the  college 
at  the  inter-collegiate  contest,  which  took  place  at  Lincoln, 
Illinois,  in  1884,  and  upon  which  occasion  he  won  the  prize  o! 
seventy-five  dollars  and  the  honor  of  representing  Illinois  at 
the  inter-State  contest.  Upon  the  latter  event  he  gained  the 
second  prize  and  such  honors  as  are  usually  bestowed  upon  the 

(i57) 


158  Winning    Orations. 

victors  in  oratory.  By  request  of  the  faculty  of  the  college  he 
delivered  his  oration  on  commencement  day,  a  privilege  which 
has  been  accorded  to  all  orators  who  has  represented  Knox 
College  abroad.  The  two  years  following  Mr.  Bender's  grad 
uation,  in  1885,  he  spent  as  principal  of  the  public  schools  of 
Abingdon,  Illinois.  In  1888  he  was  offered  the  chair  of  elo 
cution  in  Knox  College,  which  position  he  accepted,  resigning 
at  the  expiration  of  one  year  to  engage  in  newspaper  work- 
in  Omaha,  Nebraska.  After  doing  the  work  of  a  reporter  on 
the  ( )maha  Bee,  and  later  on  the  Dispatch,  he  became  city  editor 
of  the  Republican  in  the  fall  of  1889.  In  January,  1890,  he  pur 
chased  the  Omaha  Mercury,  a  paper  devoted  especially  to  the 
legal  interests  of  the  city,  and  is  still  editor  and  proprietor. 
June,  1889,  Mr.  Bender  was  married  to  Miss  Alma  B.  Colville, 
of  Galesburg,  Illinois,  who  since  his  freshman  year  has  shared 
in  his  numerous  victories  and  occasional  defeats. 


THE  ORATION. 

Delivered  at  the  Inter-State  Oratorical  Contest,  Columbus,  Ohio,  May, 
1885,  taking  second  prize.  Judges:  Rev.  H.  W.  BAYLISS,  Hon.  S.  M.  CLARK 
Hon.  J.  W.  HALLSDAY,  Gov.  HOADLEY,  Dr.  E.  K.  YOUNG,  Dr.  J.  HECKMAN' 

History  is  a  fabric  woven  of  the  threads  of  countless  lives, 
interspersed  with  lines  of  deeper  color  and  denser  fibre.  Even- 
nation  has  its  individual  pattern,  its  peculiar  shade  —  the  bright 
or  dark,  the  variegated  or  plain,  prevails  according  as  the  in 
fluence  and  direction  of  individual  lives  may  determine. 

The  history  of  Germany  reveals  a  brilliant  and  distinctive 
double  fibre,  interlacing  her  fabric  like  beautiful  threads  of 
gold.  It  represents  the  lives  of  Schiller  and  Goethe  —  the 
patriarchs  of  German  literature,  the  apostles  of  their  country's 
intellectual  freedom.  Of  the  two,  Schiller  is  pre-eminently  the 
true  German,  embodying  in  his  nature  every  essential  attribute 
of  German  individuality,  feeling  and  responding  in  every  gen 
uine  sentiment  of  the  German  heart. 

A  hundred  years  previous  to  Schiller's  advent  in  history, 
Germany  lay  prostrate  under  the  desolating  stroke  of  the 
Thirty  Years'  War.  It  was  the  Great  Sahara  of  her  history. 
Here  and  there,  like  feeble  plants  on  a  sterile  soil,  we  see  iso 
lated  intellects  extending  the  feeble  tendrils  of  their  ideas, 


Schiller  and  Germany.  1 59 

but  the  dire  ravages  of  war  had  crushed  out  every  element  of 
growth  and  vigor,  leaving  industries,  science,  literature,  church, 
nation,  in  a  state  of  indifference  and  apathy.  Oh  for  some 
quickening,  reviving  power  that  would  arouse  her  lethargic 
faculties;  that  would  invigorate  and  vitalize  the  exhausted 
forces  of  the  nation!  That  power  came.  Toward  the  middle 
of  the  eighteenth  century  there  is  a  perceptible  thrill  of  life 
throughout  the  empire  —  Lessing  had  infused  the  life-giving 
current.  The  prostrate  nation  slowly  rising  to  her  feet;  Goethe 
extends  to  her  an  aiding  hand;  and  in  the  very  midst  of  this 
reawakening,  this  alternation  of  light  and  darkness,  this  break 
ing  of  clouds,  this  promise  of  morning,  there  bursts  the  clear 
light  of  perfect  day!  As  the  midnight  fires,  kindled  by  the 
mercenary  Robber  Moor,  broke  from  the  plundered  castle  and 
set  aglow  the  dark  Thuringian  forests,  so  the  fiery  passions 
that  raged  within  that  rugged  creation,  "The  Robbers,"  burst 
upon  the  gloom  of  the  nation's  lingering  woe.  Friedrich  von 
Schiller  had  completed  the  trinity  that  effected  Germany's 
restoration.  Lessing,  Goethe,  Schiller  —  the  seed,  the  flower, 
the  fruit,  of  her  social  and  political  reform. 

But  what  were  the  more  specific  relations  of  Schiller  to  his 
native  land?  Hitherto  the  tendency  of  German  thought  had 
been  toward  the  abstract,  the  metaphysical.  Sentiment  was 
chilled  in  cold  philosophy,  the  heart  yielded  to  the  mind, 
spiritual  impulse  was  put  down  by  mental  predominance. 
Lessing  and  Goethe,  with  their  contemporaries,  sought  to  dis 
pel  this  prevailing  mysticism  of  thought  —  to  lead  the  German 
mind  out  of  its  labyrinths  of  speculation  into  the  light  of  moral 
truth.  Thus  when  Schiller  appeared,  the  mental  and  moral 
elements  of  society  were  far  from  being  homogeneous.  It  re 
mained  for  him  to  reconcile  mind  to  mind  and  heart  to  heart. 

The  drama  of  "The  Robbers"  at  once  revealed  his  genius 
and  proclaimed  his  mission.  In  it  were  voiced  the  burning 
words  that  trembled  on  the  lips  of  an  oppressed  nation;  words 
that  heaped  upon  the  social  condition  of  Germany  the  onus  of 
popular  condemnation;  words  that  urged,  advocated,  demanded 
immediate  and  radical  reform;  and  they  were  uttered  with  the 
authority  and  power  of  one  supremely  endowed. 

The  dramatic  cast  of  Schiller's  writings  aided  much  in  their 
dissemination  and  influence.  Ideal  creations  were  embodied 


160  Winning  Orations. 

and  impersonated;  pictures  of  the  mind  were  made  objective; 
fiction  became  real;  reality,  impressive.  The  stage  proved  the 
great  medium  between  Schiller  and  his  countrymen,  interpret 
ing  to  the  masses  the  lofty  conceptions  of  the  poet-thinker. 
Not  only  as  a  dramatist,  but  as  poet,  historian,  and  philosopher, 
did  Schiller  enrich  and  adorn.  His  history  of  the  Thirty  Years' 
War,  embellished  with  graceful  expression,  expanded  by  philo 
sophical  comment,  illumined  by  the  light  of  candor  and  truth, 
is  a  pillar  of  German  literature.  The  philosophy  of  Kant,  that 
stupendous  structure  of  thought,  rising,  as  it  were,  in  a  single 
night  above  the  debris  of  shattered  philosophies,  received  from 
Schiller  permanence  and  beauty. 

But  Schiller's  true  sphere  lay  not  in  recording  the  conduct 
of  war,  nor  yet  in  solving  the  problems  of  an  abstruse  philoso 
phy.  It  lay  rather  in  creating  a  higher  ideal  of  individual  duty; 
in  producing  and  sustaining  the  genuine  sentiment  of  fraternal 
love.  His  mind  was  ever  filled  with  ideals  of  the  possibilities 
of  humanity.  Freedom  and  patriotism  were  twin  conceptions 
of  his  soul,  and  to  establish  the  one  and  foster  the  other;  to 
teach,  to  elevate,  to  perfect;  this  was  the  all-controlling  pur 
pose  of  his  life.  As  an  idealist  and  a  reformer  he  saw  and 
felt  his  country's  greatest  need,  and  under  the  inspiration  of 
patriotic  impulse  he  caught  up  the  fallen  standard,  and  pro 
claimed  his  mission  and  his  service.  "The  public,"  he  says, 
"is  now  all  to  me,  my  stud}-,  my  confidant,  my  sovereign. 
Something  majestic  hovers  over  me  as  I  determine  now  to 
v,  ear  no  other  fetters  save  the  sentence  of  the  world,  to  appeal 
to  no  other  throne  but  the  soul  of  man."  And  to  this  volun 
tary  consecration  he  firmly  adhered. 

In  a  much  wilder  field,  but  with  a  less  sympathetic  nature, 
Goethe  was  at  this  time  a  noted  figure  in  the  work  of  the  nation's 
reform.  He  recognized  the  genius  and  felt  the  influence  of 
Schiller,  but  regarded  him  with  a  jealous  apprehension,  and 
every  possibility  of  personal  contact  was  avoided.  Each  was 
the  sole  representative  of  his  respective  province  of  thought, 
and  in  the  higher  atmosphere  of  their  beings  they  figured 
against  an  open  horizon,  like  the  overtopping  heights  of  two 
distinct  and  separate  ranges.  But  circumstance  casts  the  initial 
thread  to  many  a  close-knit  friendship.  Mutually  repelled  at 
first,  chance  brought  them  together,  and  their  exalted  natures 


Schiller  and  Germany.  161 

yielded,  touched,  coalesced.  In  the  reciprocal  light  of  this 
spiritual  exaltation,  literature  was  enhanced  in  breadth  and 
beauty,  humanity  became  worthier,  human  destiny  higher  and 
nobler. 

True  friendship  is  a  potent  alchemy.  From  the  mingled 
sentiments  of  kindred  hearts  is  evolved  the  gold  of  character 
and  worth.  In  the  communion  of  these  two  men  of  transcen 
dent  genius  there  was  a  mutual  awakening  of  yet  latent  powers; 
Schiller's  fervor  and  intensity  warmed  the  less  passionate 
Goethe;  while  the  calm,  comprehensive  mind  of  the  latter 
modified  the  ideal  creations  of  his  friend,  and  reduced  them 
to  a  more  practical  ideality,  enabling  him  to  grasp  more  com 
pletely  and  effectively  the  great  problems  of  the  human  weal. 

The  Thirty  Years'  War,  with  the  interests  it  involved,  the 
issues  to  which  it  gave  rise;  with  its  innumerable  phases  of 
nature  and  character;  with  its  motives,  prejudices,  hopes,  and 
ambitions;  replete  with  every  shade  and  variety  of  human 
conduct,  now  offers  Schiller  the  possibilities  of  a  mighty  drama 
—  a  means  to  develop  thoughts  and  ideas  of  individual  and 
national  utility.  And  with  a  felicity  of  poetic  and  philosophic 
genius  he  embodied  those  ideas  in  the  inimitable  characters  of 
"Wallenstein." 

Towering  above  the  field,  of  French  history  he  sees  the 
sublime  figure  of  the  Maid  of  Orleans.  Oh  what  scenes  of  thrill 
ing  action  cluster  about  her!  He  sees  her  a  peasant  among 
her  flocks,  he  sees  her  in  the  transport  of  inspiration,  rushing 
to  the  field  of  conflict,  now  in  the  ranks,  now  in  command, 
leading  the  charge,  subduing,  conquering,  crowning;  suspected, 
accused,  condemned,  burned.  But  above  the  ashes  of  this 
lowly  shepherdess  of  Domremy  there  lingers  the  spirit  of  her 
consecrated  life,  beautified,  exalted,  perpetuated,  by  the  trans 
forming  touch  of  the  German  poet. 

But  the  fostering  light  which  had  burst  so  suddenly  upon 
Germany  and  Europe,  which  had  dissipated  the  mists  of  moral 
darkness,  and  now  stood  in  the  zenith  of  its  splendor,  was  soon 
to  be  obscured.  Clouds  of  mortal  disease  impede  and  withhold 
its  rays;  but  as  the  curtain  thickens  and  darkens  there  is  a  final 
struggle  of  the  spirit,  a  rift  in  the  clouds,  a  baptism  of  refulgent 
light,  and  it  passes  irrevocably  into  shadow  and  night.  Need 
I  say  what  -was  that  last,  that  greatest,  benison?  Need  I  say 


1 62  Winning  Orations. 

how  from  the  mystic  depths  of  legendary  lore  he  led  the  hero 
Tell?  how  he  placed  him  in  his  native  Alps  and  bade  him  re 
deem  his  olden  glory?  how  he  reawoke  in  forest  and  in  valley 
the  song  of  the  Alpine  hunter;  and  flecked  the  hills  with  flocks, 
the  dales  with  happy  homes?  How  Despotism  clouded,  then 
obscured  their  happiness;  and  how  at  last  the  clouds  were 
dissipated,  and  Freedom  smiled  again?  Ah!  he  baptised  the 
land  in  the  imagery  and  beauty  of  a  poet's  conception,  and 
Switzerland  stood  transfigured.  In  this  matchless  representa 
tion  of  the  old  legend  Germany  recognized  the  genuine  quali 
ties  of  statehood.  The  patience,  constancy,  bravery,  patriot 
ism,  of  the  primitive  Switzer,  reproduced  in  living,  sentient 
characters,  touched  and  moved  the  nation,  and  welded  closer 
the  bonds  of  sympathy  and  love.  That  priceless  legacy  lives 
in  history  and  hearts.  It  was  but  yesterday  that  German  rights 
were  jeopardized  and  the  nation  affronted.  Across  the  borders 
the  aggressive  Napoleon  was  marshaling  his  forces  to  the  ex 
hilarating  notes  of  the  "Marseillaise,"  but  the  sturdy  German 
heart  was  swayed  by  an  incitement  stronger  and  deeper  than 
that  of  martial  music.  Throughout  the  confederation,  from 
Strasbourg  to  the  Baltic,  by  imperial  mandate,  the  theatres 
rang  again  with  the  voice  of  Wilhelm  Tell,  and  modern  Ger 
many,  catching  the  spirit  of  that  grand  old  drama,  rallied  in 
defense  of  Fatherland.  Know  you  a  higher  tribute  that  can 
be  paid  to  genius?  Know  you  a  richer  legacy  that  can  be  left 
a  native  land? 

Thus  as  a  dramatist  we  see  him  peopling  the  stage  with  the 
sublimest  conceptions  of  character  and  art;  in  the  garland  of 
poesy  he  has  woven  the  brightest  flowers  of  song;  from  tin- 
field  of  civil  strife  he  gathered  lessons  of  human  wisdom;  into 
the  dark  recesses  of  philosophy  he  carried  a  torch  of  truth. 
Yet  underlying  all  his  intellectual  powers  was  the  character 
that  gave  them  firmness  and  dignity;  the  heart  that  warmed 
them  with  feeling  and  sentiment;  the  soul  that  exalted  and 
idealized.  The  great  heart  of  humanity  was  the  source  of  his 
every  impulse,  the  pulse  of  national  sentiment  determined  the 
vigor  of  his  works.  He  was  the  center  of  a  new  social  and 
political  organism;  the  embodiment  of  sincerity  and  devotion; 
the  type  of  a  patriot,  poet,  and  man. 


Schiller  and  Germany.  163 

Germany  has  had  her  scientists,  poets,  her  statesmen  and 
generals;  her  Humboldt  and  Heine,  her  Bismarck  and  Moltke. 
In  every  department  of  human  knowledge  she  keeps  pace  with 
the  prodigious  strides  of  the  age,  but  at  no  time  has  she  so 
rallied  her  forces  and  asserted  her  intellectual  and  moral 
powers  as  at  the  close  of  the  eighteenth  century  —  when  the 
germs  implanted  by  Lessing,  Herder,  and  Lavater,  were  in 
their  fruitage;  when  Goethe  wrote,  and  Richter  puzzled  and 
pleased;  when  the  whole  world  could  acclaim  with  Germany, 
''Es  lebe  Friedrich  von  Schiller!" 


CONSERVATISM,  AN  ESSENTIAL   ELEMENT  OF 
PROGRESS. 


By  E.  C.  RITSHER,  of  Beloit  College. 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 

The  winner  of  the  first  prize  in  the  oratorical  contest  of  1886, 
Mr.  Edward  Charles  Ritsher,  was  born  in  Beloit,  Wisconsin, 
September  8,  1864.  After  passing  through  the  grammar  schools 
of  that  city  he  entered  the  Beloit  High  School  to  prepare  for 
college.  In  1881  he  was  graduated  with  honor  from  the  high 
school,  and  then  began  his  life  of  more  advanced  study,  to  which 
the  same  term,  "with  honor,"  has  always  been  applicable.  En 
tering  Beloit  College  in  the  fall  of  the  same  year  the  excellence 
of  his  work  won  for  him  the  Waterman  Prize,  which  is  assigned 
to  the  graduate  from  any  Illinois  or  Wisconsin  high  school 
passing  the  best  entrance  examination.  At  the  close  of  the 
freshman  year  he  was  also  awarded  the  Bridgeman  Prize  for 
excellence  in  declamation.  During  the  Sophomore  year  he 
showed  unusual  ability  in  the  work  of  the  debating  societies, 
being  the  leading  speaker  on  the  winning  side  in  what  is  known 
as  the  Archaean  Debate,  a  coveted  honor;  and  also  being  suc 
cessful  in  two  joint  debates  of  the  principal  literary  societies. 
The  following  year  spent  in  outdoor  life  brought  the  student 
back  to  the  latter  half  of  his  college  course  with  much  im 
proved  health.  At  the  old-time  "junior  ex."  he  was  assigned 
a  philosophical  oration,  and  at  the  end  of  the  year  the  scholar 
ship  of  the  class  was  awarded  to  him.  The  final  year  of  college 
life  was  one  of  marked  influence  and  prominence.  Besides 
obtaining  other  college  honors,  Mr.  Ritsher  passed  successfully 
through  the  home,  State  and  inter-State  oratorical  contests. 
His  oration  is  its  own  proof  of  excellence.  Notwithstanding 
the  incursions  on  time  and  strength  in  filling  these  appoint 
ments,  the  valedictory  oration  was  assigned  to  Mr.  Ritsher  at 

(164) 


Conservatism,  an  Essential  Element  of  Progress.  165 

his  graduation,  and  thus,  in  1886,  he  completed  his  course 
with  very  distinguished  success.  It  ought  also  to  be  added 
that  he  \vas  repeatedly  elected  to  journalistic  honors,  but  al 
ways  felt  obliged  to  decline  on  account  of  doubtful  health. 
In  college  he  was  also  identified  with  Christian  work.  After 
leaving  college  he  became  the  assistant  principal  in  the  Beloit 
High  School.  In  1887,  deciding  to  study  law,  he  became  a 
student  of  Columbia  Law  School,  New  York  City,  and  was 
graduated  in  1889  with  the  degree  of  bachelor  of  law.  A  few 
days  later  he  delivered  the  master's  oration  at  Beloit  College. 
In  October,  1889,  he  was  admitted  to  the  Chicago  bar,  winning 
high  commendation.  Locating  in  Chicago  he  has  been  re-, 
markably  successful  in  his  profession,  and  it  takes  no  prophet's 
eye  to  predict  for  him  a  large  and  an  influential  future. 


THE   ORATION. 

Delivered  at  the  Inter-State  Oratorical  Contest,  Lawrence,  Kansas,  May, 
1886,  taking  first  prize.  Judges:  Pres.  J.  B.  ANGELI,,  Judge  J.  B.  CASSODAY, 
Hon.  J.  K.  NASH,  Hon.  EUGENE  WARE,  Rev.  Dr.  THOMPSON,  Hon.  T.  D. 
THACHER. 

The  nineteenth  century  has  been  a  century  of  wonders. 
Prodigies  have  marked  her  onward  course.  The  mechanical 
appliances  of  ages  have  been  revolutionized.  The  most  stub 
born  forces  have  yielded  to  the  mind  of  man. 

The  present  generation  seeks  new  worlds  to  conquer.  It 
penetrates  the  social  and  moral  life  of  man,  and  there  endeavors 
to  rival  the  material  world  in  startling  revolutions.  This  inva 
sion  of  unknown  regions  calls  together  men  of  energy  and 
character,  but  it  also  gathers  in  reckless  adventurers.  Vandals 
have  arisen  in  the  very  realms  of  thought,  wielding  the  intel 
lectual  weapons  with  ruthless  hands.  They  cry  against  those 
who  counsel  moderation.  They  declare  war  on  what  they  call 
the  bigotry  of  the  past.  To  avoid  conservatism  they  leap  into 
fanaticism.  Determined  to  reform  society  by  a  single  stroke, 
they  bid  defiance  to  reason  and  produce  their  legitimate  fruits 
—  Socialism,  Nihilism,  and  Rebellion.  Is  there  truth  in  their 
doctrines?  Is  there  method  in  their  madness?  Let  the  horrors 
of  the  French  Revolution  be  your  answer! 

If  we  pause  to  examine  the  facts  in  the  case  we  find  no  truth 
in  the  cry  of  these  Philistines.  No  yawning  gulf  separates  the 


1 66  Winning  Orations. 

conservatives  from  the  reformers.  Their  ultimate  aim  is  the 
same.  They  differ  only  in  their  methods.  The  conservative 
people  of  the  world  are  not  bigots.  They  are  not  the  enemies 
of  progress.  They  grasp  the  truth  with  unerring  mind.  They 
strive  for  its  success  with  loyal  hearts.  The  difference  between 
the  conservative  man  and  the  would-be  reformer  is  a  difference 
not  of  heart  but  of  brain.  It  is  the  difference  between  the 
practical  man  and  the  theoretical  man. 

The  radical  reformer  acts  in  view  of  the  ideal,  rather  than 
the  actual  world.  He  believes  that  a  certain  thing  is  right  and 
that  all  else  is  wrong,  and  he  says,  "Give  me  the  right  or  give 
me  nothing."  He  believes  that  he  is  entitled  to  the  whole  loaf, 
and  he  proposes  to  have  the  whole  loaf  or  starve.  The  smallest 
portion  of  truth  suffices  so  to  engage  his  attention  that  he  for 
gets  everything  else,  and  becomes  blind  to  all  that  is  not  com 
prised  within  the  narrow  horizon  of  his  beliefs. 

These  men  have  an  idea,  a  plan,  a  theory,  and  mounting  the 
lofty  platform  of  "principle,"  they  defiantly  proclaim  their 
ideas,  and  proceed  to  attack  the  fixed  institutions  of  centuries 
before  they  have  secured  the  means  of  success.  They  do  not 
consider  that  success  in  human  affairs  is  not  to  be  obtained  by- 
such  absolute  proceedings  or  by  a  mere  appeal  to  philosophical 
argument.  They  do  not  consider  that  the  human  mind  in 
stinctively  rebels  against  such  treatment.  They  do  not  con 
sider  that  they  deliberately  insult  the  intelligence  and  common 
sense  of  their  fellow-men.  It  does  take  principle  and  it  does 
take  courage  to  pursue  such  a  course,  but  we  are  placed  in  the 
world  to  accomplish  something,  not  merely  to  make  martyrs 
of  themselves.  And  while  we  must  admire  the  pluck  of  the 
so-called  reformers  we  cannot  but  condemn  their  judgment. 
We  cannot  fail  to  see  that  their  methods  are  futile  and  fraught 
with  danger. 

The  truly  conservative  men,  on  the  contrary,  realize  f.hat 
man  must  be  dealt  with  not  as  an  ideal  but  as  he  is.  They 
realize  that  tact  must  be  exercised  in  human  affairs.  They 
appreciate  the  fact  that  the  body  politic,  like  the  human  body, 
must  develop  strength  and  energy  by  slow,  sure  processes; 
that  all  abnormally  rapid  growth  is  but  the  symbol  of  decay. 
These  men  take  no  narrow,  visionary  view  of  a  subject,  but 
grasping  at  once,  and  as  a  whole,  the  matter  which  comes  to 


Conservatism,  an  Essential  Element  of  Progress.  167 

their  notice,  they  so  calculate,  arrange,  and  combine  the  con 
flicting  elements,  that  while  the  everlasting  principle  is  placed 
boldly  forward  so  as  not  to  be  mistaken,  care  is  taken  that  it 
shall  not  be  endangered  by  a  negligent  or  rash  estimate  of  the 
circumstances  which  oppose  it. 

Truly  conservative  men  respect  an  honest  foe.  They  reali/e 
that  the  principle  tor  which  ih  -y  are  contending  is  not  the  only 
one  in  the  world,  but  that  there  arc  other  doctrines,  other  facts, 
other  interests,  which  demand  recognition.  They  are  willing 
even  to  take  the  crust  if  they  cannot  get  the  whole  loaf.  They 
are  willing  to  make  use  of  stepping-stones  to  reach  the  exalted 
position  for  which  they  strive.  And  they  are  none  the  less 
men  of  principle  for  so  doing;  they  simply  combine  with  their 
principle  tact  and  common  sense.  They  reali/e  that  yonder 
mountain  height  of  achievement  must  be  reached  —  not  by  a 
reckless  and  fanatical  attempt  to  climb  straight  up  its  perpen 
dicular  sides,  but  rather  by  following  the  winding  path  of  policy 
which  with  its  gentle  ascent  leads  ever  onward  ever  upward  to 
the  glorious  summit  of  success! 

This  is  the  only  road  to  achievement.  Step  by  step  is  the 
universal  law  of  progress.  The  whole  material  world  bows 
reverently  to  its  sway.  The  wondrous  power,  which  out  of 
chaos  produced  the  Universe  the  earth,  the  air,  the  heavens 
with  all  their  starry  splendor-  was  a  power  working  not  by 
mighty  revolutions,  but  slowly,  silently,  through  infinite  ages. 
The  forces  of  violent  action  —  the  wind,  the  flood,  the  earth 
quake  shock  —  are  the  forces  of  destruction.  Wherever  we 
turn  our  eyes  the  evidence  of  this  law  confronts  us.  All  nature 
is  under  its  domination.  Is  man  so  mighty  a  creature  that  he 
can  safely  defy  the  laws  of  the  very  power  that  gave  him  birth? 
History  teaches  the  reverse. 

The  English  nation  escaped  from  a  condition  of  servitude 
and  tyranical  oppression,  not  by  violently  throwing  off  the 
yoke,  but  by  over  a  century  of  steady,  systematic,  and  intelli 
gent  growth.  The  Magna  Charta,  the  Petition  of  Right,  the 
Bill  of  Rights  —  those  three  great  documents  which  have  been 
aptly  termed  the  "Bible  of  the  English  Constitution" — were 
wrested  from  haughty  kings  not  by  a  party  of  one  idea,  not 
by  fanatics  thoughtless  of  all  else,  but  by  men  who  considered 
the  interests  of  all  parties,  and  who  for  that  very  reason  were 


1 68  Winning  Orations. 

able  to  develop  a  symmetrical  and  powerful  public  sentiment. 
As  one  of  our  ablest  political  philosophers  well  says,  "The 
healthful  development  of  the  English  Constitution  was  due  to 
the  fact  that  no  particular  principle  ever  obtained  an  exclusive 
influence.  There  was  always  a  simultaneous  development  of 
the  different  forces  and  a  sort  of  negotiation  or  compromise 
between  their  pretentions  and  interests." 

Across  the  Channel,  however,  the  case  was  different.  The 
French  people  defied  the  law  of  progress,  and  as  a  consequence 
there  arose  in  France  certain  factions  with  "Liberty"  for  their 
watchword — "Liberty  though  the  Heavens  fall."  Revolution 
they  considered  the  touch-stone  of  progress;  one  idea,  the  con 
dition  of  success.  Violating  the  very  principle  for  which  they 
fought  they  refused  to  consider  other  interests;  they  scorned 
to  compromise  with  other  factions;  they  listened  not  to  the 
claims  of  monarchy,  religion,  or  law.  And  those  dark  pages 
in  the  history  of  France,  from  the  perusal  of  which  the  very 
demons  turn  in  horror,  are  the  record  of  their  deeds. 

Biography,  too,  adds  its  testimony  to  the  immutability  of 
the  law  of  progress  and  bears  witness  to  the  success  of  those 
who  recognize  this  law.  Who  is  the  man  who  has  transformed 
Prussia  from  a  mass  of  petty  states  to  that  great  and  glorious 
nation,  second  to  none  on  the  European  continent?  Bismarck; 
a  man  of  iron  will,  a  man  of  dogged  persistence,  and  yet  withal, 
a  man  of  such  consummate  tact  and  policy  that  for  twenty  years 
and  more  he  has  held  his  position  as  chief  man  of  the  realm  in 
spite  of  opposition,  aye,  even  with  the  consent  of  his  bitterest 
political  enemies.  German  unification  was  not  an  idea  original 
with  him.  Patriots  and  reformers  for  a  century  before  had 
been  longing  to  accomplish  this  very  thing.  Bismarck  was  the 
first  to  grapple  with  the  subject  as  a  statesman  and  not  as  an 
enthusiast.  Others  had  sought  to  make  a  nation  in  a  day; 
Bismarck  was  willing  to  give  a  lifetime  for  the  work. 

Who  is  the  man  who  in  England  to-day  wields  a  power  and 
an  influence  which  defeat  and  political  overthrow  have  not 
been  able  to  cripple?  Gladstone;  the  Christian  statesman, 
the  man  of  principle,  and  yet,  for  the  sake  of  the  welfare  of 
England,  so  conservative,  that  irrespective  of  party  ties,  he 
seeks  for  the  symmetrical  development  of  all  English  interests. 
His  name  is  destined  to  become  immortal,  not  as  the  leader  of 


Conservatism,  an  Essential  Element  of  Progress.  169 

a  party,  not  as  a  champion  of  one  idea,  but  as  a  statesman  who 
could  be  active  without  being  partisan,  conservative  without 
being  stationary,  progressive  without  being  fanatical. 

Turn  to  our  own  history,  to  the  name  of  one  who  will  live 
forever  in  the  memory  and  the  heart  of  this  nation,  to  Abraham 
I  Jncoln,  the  emancipator  of  the  slaves,  the  savior  of  the  Union. 
Coming  into  power  when  the  nation  was  at  a  crisis,  when  as  ;i 
people  we  were  wholly  absorbed  in  watching  one  great  event, 
he  never  forgot  for  a  moment  the  multiplicity  of  our  interests 
as  a  nation;  he  never  allowed  his  hatred  for  an  evil  institution 
to  triumph  over  his  reason;  but  amid  the  revilings  of  those 
fanatics  who  have  plunged  us  into  ruin,  he  boldly  declared, 
"My  paramount  object  is  to  save  the  Union,  and  not  either 
save  or  destroy  Slavery.  What  I  do  about  Slavery  and  the 
colored  race  I  do  because  I  believe  it  helps  to  save  the  Union, 
and  what  I  forbear,  I  forbear  because  I  do  not  believe  it  would 
help  to  save  the  Union."  And  at  that  time  when  even  among 
our  Northern  men  conflicting  opinions  prevailed;  when  50,000 
of  our  troops  were  from  the  border  slaves  States;  when  the 
salvation  of  the  Union  demanded  the  earnest  and  unqualified 
support  of  every  loyal  citizen  — at  that  time  a  policy  less  broad, 
a  course  less  statesmanlike,  a  rallying  cry  less  comprehensive, 
would  have  plunged  us  into  irretrievable  disaster  and  ruin 
And  I  ask  —  and  I  voice  the  sentiments  of  men  than  whom 
there  are  none  greater  in  this  nation,  than  whom  there  are  none 
more  loyal  —  I  ask  if  in  1856  the  Garrisons,  and  the  Phillipses 
of  the  North,  and  the  Davises,  and  the  Toombses  of  the  South, 
had  been  replaced  by  men  with  the  sagacity  of  Abraham  Lin 
coln;  if  we  had  used  more  policy  in  our  treatment  of  an  institu 
tion  morally  wrong  yet  legally  recognized;  if  we  had  considered 
all  the  interests  of  this  nation  —  should  we  not  have  secured  the 
emancipation  of  the  negro  without  the  cost  of  five  billions  of 
treasure,  without  devastating  and  beggaring  one-half  of  our 
fair  land,  without  the  sacrifice  of  six  hundred  thousand  human 
lives,  without  twenty-five  years  of  sectional  strife,  without 
plunging  the  negro  into  a  condition  of  political  servitude  more 
oppressive,  if  possible,  than  his  former  state? 

There  doubtless  is  a  place  in  the  world  for  radical  reformers, 
and  without  question  they  perform  a  grand  work  by  arousing 
to  activity  the  public  mind.  But  victory  has  rarely  perched 


170  Winning  Orations. 

on  their  banners  and  their  watchword  has  too  often  been 
changed  from  "principle"  to  "intolerance."  The  sands  of 
time  are  red  with  the  blood  of  their  slaughtered  victims;  yet 
the  result  of  their  warfare  has  been  extermination,  not  peace. 
The  conservative  men  are  the  doers  of  the  world.  What 
reformers  could  bring  about  by  violence  and  revolution  they 
accomplish  by  natural  means.  It  is  time  to  denounce  the 
fanatical  slander  which  is  cast  upon  them.  Malicious  attack 
may  dim  the  splendor  of  their  successes,  but  it  cannot  effect 
the  record  of  their  achievements.  Their  eulogy  is  engraved 
on  the  imperishable  tablets  of  time.  As  long  as  civilization 
advances,  as  long  as  Liberty  endures,  their  fame  is  secure. 
And  if  in  the  dim  ages  of  the  future  their  forces  ever  should  be 
outnumbered,  and  the  legions  of  wreck  and  ruin  run  riot,  the 
tradition  of  a  former  civilization  will  yet  remain  a  glorious 
monument  to  the  memory  of  conservative  men. 


f*  (HI 


MOB  AND  LAW. 


By  H.  H.  RUSSELL,  of  Oberlin  College. 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 

Howard  H.  Russell  is  a  typical  westerner,  full  of  push,  pluck 
and  energy.  He  was  born  in  Minnesota,  in  1855,  but  spent  the 
greater  part  of  his  life  in  lo^va.  He  prepared  himself  for  col 
lege  in  Griswold  Institution,  Davenport,  Iowa,  where  his  father 
was  a  professor.  In  18/5  he  began  the  study  of  law,  and  gradu 
ated  at  the  Des  Moines  Law  School  in  18/8.  For  six  years  he 
was  an  active  and  successful  practitioner,  and  won  for  himself 
a  name  and  place  as  one  of  the  most  promising  young  men  at 
the  Iowa  bar.  In  1880  Mr.  Russell  was  happily  married  to 
Miss  Lillian  Davis,  of  Corning,  Iowa,  a  daughter  of  the  senior 
partner  of  his  law  firm,  and  a  woman  of  singular  sweetness  and 
beauty  of  character,  and  to  her  is  due  more  than  to  any  other 
human  agency  the  turning  points  in  his  life,  for  in  1883  he 
became  an  active  and  earnest  Christian  worker  rather  than 
a  successful  man  of  the  world.  He  spent  the  next  five  years 
in  Oberlin  College,  Oberlin,  Ohio.  In  addition  to  pursuing  his 
collegiate  and  theological  studies  he  carried  on  successful  pas 
torates  at  North  Amherst  and  Berea,  Ohio.  Upon  his  gradua 
tion  at  Oberlin  in  1888,  he  was  invited  by  the  Congregational 
Union  of  Kansas  City,  Missouri,  to  establish  a  city  mission  en 
terprise,  and  immediately  began  work  in  a  large  tent  in  South 
west  Kansas  City.  His  organizing  talent,  personal  magnetism, 
and  winning  manners,  his  sympathy  and  interest  in  the  masses, 
are  attested  by  the  phenomenal  growth  of  the  Southwest  Taber 
nacle  Church.  In  less  than  three  years  he  built  up  a  strong, 
aggressive  young  church  in  the  face  of  many  obstacles.  Mr. 
Russell  has  recently  accepted  a  call  to  the  Armour  Mission  in 
Chicago,  the  largest  and  most  important  city  evangelistic  enter 
prise  in  the  West.  He  is  a  leader  of  men  and  a  force  in  what 
ever  community  he  resides.  Following  is  his  excellent  oration. 

(170 


Winning  Orations. 


THE   ORATION. 

Delivered  at  the  Inter-State  Oratorical  Contest,  Lawrence,  Kansas,  May, 
1886,  taking  second  prize.  Judges:  Pres.  J.  B.  ANGF.LL,  Judge  J.  B.  CASSO- 
DAY,  Hon.  J.  K.  NASH,  Hon.  EUGENE  WARE,  Rev.  Dr.  THOMPSON,  Hon.  T. 
D.  THACHER. 

The  scene  is  in  a  manufacturing  city.  Five  thousand  strikers 
have  gathered  to  discuss  their  wrongs.  They  have  been  out  of 
the  shops  more  than  a  week.  Yesterday  they  forced  their  way 
into  a  factory,  stopped  the  engines,  and  drove  out  the  men 
who  were  still  at  work.  To-day  they  made  a  riotous  assault 
upon  a  mill,  but  were  repulsed  by  the  police.  To-night  they 
come  with  scowling  faces  and  vindictive  threats  to  listen  to  the 
incendiary  doctrines  of  socialism.  A  professional  anarchist, 
summoned  from  a  distant  city,  feeds  the  flames  of  malice  by 
the  following  harangue: 

[ANARCHIST.]  "Comrades — I  rejoice  with  you  to-night  that 
the  hosts  of  degraded  toil  are  mustering  for  war.  We  battle 
for  the  destruction  of  the  system  of  wage-slaving.  It  is  a  fight 
for  liberty,  a  fight  for  wife  and  child,  a  fight  for  bread.  What 
is  this  monstrous  wrong  that  in  a  land  of  gold  dispenses  lavish 
favors  to  the  lazy  few,  and  binds  the  millions  of  honest  toilers 
with  chains  of  penury  and  want?  It  is  the  curse  of  Private 
Property.  Property  is  theft,  because  it  enables  him  who  has 
not  produced  to  consume  the  fruits  of  other  people's  toil. 

"In  the  past  twenty  years  the  wealth  of  this  country  has  in 
creased  over  twenty  billions  of  dollars;  every  cent  derived  from 
the  labor  of  the  working  class.  Into  whose  hands  has  this 
wealth  found  its  way?  Have  you  any  of  it?  ('No/  says  a 
voice  in  the  crowd,  'but  we  helped  to  produce  it.')  I'll  tell  you 
where  it  is.  In  the  three  cities,  New  York,  Boston,  and  Phil 
adelphia,  are  twenty  men  who  hold,  as  private  property,  over 
$750,000,000.  In  twenty  years  these  aristocratic  pickpockets 
have  fleeced  the  people  of  that  enormous  sum,  and  only  three 
cities  and  twenty  robbers  heard  from.  This  is  why,  in  a  land 
of  plenty,  tramps  and  starvelings  multiply  their  dismal  hordes. 
This  is  the  glorious  land  of  millionaires  and  tramps.  Your 
wages  are  reduced  to  the  starvation  point,  and  you  are  told 
the  trouble  is  over-production.  You  produce  too  many  shoes, 
therefore  you  must  go  barefooted.  You  produce  too  much 
clothing,  therefore  you  must  go  naked.  You  produce  too  much 


Mob  and  Law.  173 

grain,  therefore  you  must  starve.  Men  of  toil,  how  long  will 
you  basely  cringe,  while  the  lash  of  avarice  lays  welts  upon 
your  backs?  Do  not  hope  for  relief  from  the  government. 
The  law-givers  are  the  hired  hands  of  the  property-class. 
They  make  laws  only  for  Goulds  and  Vanderbilts.  Then  capi 
tal  goes  to  court  and  buys  judge  and  jury.  The  whole  machin 
ery  of  law  is  geared  for  oppression.  The  government  must  be 
overthrown.  Anarchy,  the  only  law  of  liberty,  must  take  its 
place. 

"Comrades,  the  time  for  revolution  has  come.  Our  weapons 
—  torch,  pistol,  dynamite.  Assert  your  rights  at  once,  or  you 
are  cowards.  Look  at  these  great  factories  and  massive  blocks. 
Capital  has  stolen  them  from  you.  See  the  gilded  palaces  of 
luxury.  You  have  built  them  for  idlers,  while  your  own  families 
are  houseless.  Lift  up  your  starving  children.  Let  them 
look  upon  the  tables  of  the  rich  heaped  with  viands  snatched 
from  their  hungry  mouths.  Go  forth  to-night;  take  back  your 
stolen  property.  If  you  set  afire  the  dwelling  of  the  capitalist, 
or  blow  up  his  mill  or  factory,  no  matter;  it  is  yours.  You 
have  earned  it;  he  has  taken  it  from  you.  You  have  the  right 
to  burn  what  is  your  own.  And  if  you  chance  to  take  a  life  or 
two,  no  matter;  it  is  not  murder  to  kill  the  pirate  or  the  high 
way  robber.  In  his  greed  he  kills  those  clear  to  you.  You 
strike  for  your  rights.  Your  wife  and  children  go  cold  and 
hungry.  Sickness  follows.  No  money  for  medicine  or  doctor. 
And  so  death  comes.  I  knew  such  a  man;  only  yesterday  for 
lack  of  money  to  hire  the  hearse  he  carried  the  rough  coffin  of 
his  murdered  child  upon  his  shoulder  to  the  grave;  and  on  the 
street  he  met  his  heartless  employer,  with  liveried  lackeys, 
riding  at  his  ease.  Workingmen,  awake!  Away  with  such  in 
famy!  The  tocsin  of  war  has  sounded  —  death  to  the  capitalist! 
fA  voice:  'Down  with  the  millionaires!  Kill  them  to  a  man!' ) 
Let  robbers  and  pirates  meet  the  fate  they  deserve  —  death. 
Come  up  from  the  hovels  of  serfs,  and  take  the  torch  for  ven 
geance!  Come  out  of  the  treadmills  of  despair,  and  sweep 
your  slave  drivers  to  destruction!  Burn  and  kill!  Hurl  the 
plundering  syndicate  of  capital  to  perdition! 

'To  arms,  to  arms,  ye  brave!     The  avenging  sword  unsheathe! 
March  on,  march  on,  all  hearts  resolved  on  liberty  or  death.' 


174  Winning  Orations. 

"The  red  flag  points  the  way.  Fall  in  with  your  thousands, 
shoulder  to  shoulder.  \Ye  have  nothing  to  lose  but  our  skack- 
les;  we  have  a  world  to  win!  Forward!  Liberty  or  death!" 

Who  can  depict  the  terrors  of  an  angry  mob,  lashed  into 
madness  by  the  tongue  of  hate?  The  profane  howl  of  pan 
demonium  rises  on  the  affrighted  air.  Blood-red  eyes  are 
glaring  with  rage.  Dirk-knives  and  pistols  flash.  Great  clubs 
are  swung  aloft  in  grimy  hands.  A  brawling,  bloodthirsty  mob 
waiting  only  a  signal  of  the  red  ensign  of  blood  to  surge  forth 
to  burn  and  kill. 

It  is  the  hour  for  a  hero. 

There  are  moments  when  the  weal  or  woe  of  many  homes, 
when  the  safety  of  the  nation  hangs  on  the  word  and  action  of 
one  brave  man.  Such  a  moment  is  this.  There  is  a  movement 
in  the  crowd,  and  there  comes  forth  a  man  of  giant  frame.  A 
working-man,  and  yet  't  is  plain  to  see  a  man  who  thinks.  In 
hours  of  respite  from  his  furnace  forge  he  has  studied  the  burn 
ing  problems  of  the  age.  He  is  a  man  of  conscience,  with  cool 
brain,  clear  eye,  steady  nerve.  He  is  well  known  among  his 
fellows.  As  he  bares  his  brow  to  speak,  the  clubs  are  lowered 
and  the  knives  are  sheathed;  the  curse  half  muttered  dies 
away,  and  intense  silence  rests  upon  the  multitude  as  he  thus 
addresses  them: 

[WORKINGMAN.]  "I  do  not  come  before  you  to  enlarge 
the  story  of  our  wrongs.  That  we  are  victims  of  an  unjust 
social  system  has  been  ably  shown.  It  is  a  fact  that  the  idle  few 
amass  great  fortunes  by  the  strain  of  muscle  and  sweat  of  brow 
of  other  men.  It  is  true  that  we  who  produce  the  wealth  are 
not  permitted  to  enjoy  its  fruits.  All  this  is  more  than  plain. 

"  Let  us  look  this  matter  in  the  face.  We  have  been  wronged. 
Is  that  any  reason  why  we  should  rush  into  destruction?  We 
seek  justice  for  our  homes.  Shall  we  gain  our  end  by  making 
widows  and  orphans  of  our  wives  and  children?  W7e  have 
come  to-night,  men,  where  the  ways  divide.  The  question  is: 
Which  way  does  wisdom  lead?  Will  you  at  the  bidding  of  a 
stranger  turn  yourselves  into  a  pack  of  thieves  and  murderers? 
Or  shall  we  seek  redress  by  lawful  means? 

"This  movement  to  secure  living  wages  began  last  week. 
We  protested  against  reduction.  This  was  right.  We  struck. 
This  was  our  privilege.  We  persuaded  other  men  to  join  us  in 


Mob  atid  Law.  175 

the  strike.  This  was  lawful.  At  that  time  we  had  the  sym 
pathy  of  almost  the  entire  city.  But  when  violent  hands  were 
laid  upon  those  who  refused  to  strike,  and  some  attempted  to 
destroy  the  mill  to  secure  our  ends,  we  lost  the  good-will  and 
gained  the  condemnation  of  our  friends.  Shall  we  make  an 
other  and  more  fatal  blunder?  Has  labor  ever  won  success  by 
its  defiance  of  the  State?  What  do  Pittsburg,  Chicago,  and 
the  Hocking  Valley  teach?  What  has  always  been  the  cost  of 
violence?  Millions  of  gold  and  torrents  of  blood.  What  the 
result?  Failure.  Shall  we  plunge  again  into  this  crimson  sea 
of  blood  and  fire? 

"This  vigorous  orator,  who  makes  speeches  but  never  marches 
with  the  crowd,  has  tried  to  spur  you  to  action  by  calling  you 
cowards  if  you  refuse  to  break  the  laws  and  put  your  lives  in 
peril.  "T  is  always  braver  to  do  right  than  wrong.  In  this 
case,  it  is  safer,  too.  I  heard  once  of  a  shrewd  Yankee  who 
refused  to  fight  a  duel.  His  friends  said  he  would  be  called  a 
coward,  and  this  was  his  reply:  'I  would  rather  be  called  a 
coward  all  my  life  than  be  a  corpse  for  five  minutes.'  ('His 
head  was  level,'  exclaims  a  man  in  front,  and  applause  re 
sounds  in  all  directions.)  No,  brothers,  let  us  not  stain  our 
hands  with  blood;  let  us  commit  no  deeds  of  violence,  and 
public  opinion  will  again  call  for  our  rights. 

"Who  is  it  talks  to-night  of  anarchy  and  treason?  Who 
counsels  robbery  and  murder?  An  exile  from  his  own  country, 
for  his  country's  good.  A  hireling,  just  as  ready  to  start  a 
strike  at  capital's  request  as  to  help  the  cause  of  labor.  A 
blatant  instigator  who  orders  the  red  flag  forward,  then  skulks 
in  safety  while  his  poor  dupes  rush  madly  on  to  ruin.  W7ill  you 
choose  his  counsel?  I  tell  you  that  for  turning  wrong  to  right 
this  is  the  best  government  in  all  the  world.  It  is  left  for  you 
and  me  to  pass  what  laws  we  please.  Eighty  per  cent,  of  all 
the  voters  are  workingmen.  Look  at  the  lawful  rights  already 
gained  for  labor:  Imprisonment  for  debt  abolished;  the  com 
mon  school  established;  the  homestead  granted  free  of  cost; 
a  mechanic's  lien  to  secure  our  pay;  our  homes  exempt  from 
penalty  for  debt.  These  are  but  a  fraction  of  the  poor  man's 
rights.  The  humane  laws  we  have  are  pledges  for  the  future. 
The}r  guarantee  a  peaceful  settlement  of  our  strife  with  capital. 

"Let  us,  then,  stand  united  in  this  strife;  but  let  us  also  be 


1/6  Winning  Orations. 

firm  as  the  rock  in  support  of  the  laws  of  our  land.  Let  us  be 
true  to  our  manhood,  our  homes,  and  the  State.  Let  us  seek 
relief,  not  with  the  bullet  but  the  ballot.  Not  revolution  but 
arbitration  be  our  watchword,  and  the  air  will  yet  ring  with 
cheers  of  victory!" 

The  hush  in  the  assembly,  the  sobered  looks  upon  the  faces 
of  those  rough  men,  show  that  the  manly  words  of  their  fellow- 
toiler  have  won  the  full  assent  of  their  better  judgment.  Quietly 
by  twos  and  threes  they  disperse  to  their  homes. 

What  is  the  lesson,  my  friends,  taught  by  scenes  like  this? 
These  are  serious  times.  Days  of  riot,  plunder,  torch,  and 
murder.  In  February,  London  pillaged;  in  March,  Belgium 
drenched  with  blood;  in  April,  our  own  Fort  Worth  and  East 
St.  Louis  ravaged  by  death  and  terror.  Flower-crowned  May 
has  come,  and  to-night  the  hospitals  of  Chicago  are  rilled  with 
the  dying  victims  of  anarchy.  What  is  the  duty  of  the  hour? 
Manifestly  this:  Obedience  to  the  law  must  be  enforced;  peace 
and  order  must  be  maintained.  If  need  be  let  the  bugles  blow, 
and  a  million  men  be  mustered  into  line.  Dislodge  the  law 
breaker  whether  he  hides  behind  bludgeons  or  money-bags. 
While  statesmen  and  philanthropists  are  hastening  toward  a 
better  social  system,  capital  and  labor  both  must  stand  sub 
missive  to  such  statutes  as  we  have.  Law,  though  imperfect, 
must  be  supreme. 

In  Cuba,  in  1867,  an  American  citizen  was  wrongfully 
arrested  by  the  Spanish  authorities  and  condemned  to  die. 
He  was  led  out  to  be  shot.  As  he  sat  on  his  coffin  waiting  for 
the  volley,  the  American  Consul,  hastily  alighting  from  his 
carriage,  wrapped  around  him  the  stars  and  stripes.  "Fire 
upon  that  flag  if  you  dare!"  he  said.  They  dared  not  fire,  and 
his  life  was  saved.  Round  the  rights  of  labor  and  the  rights  of 
capital  an  invincible  government  has  wrapped  the  sacred  mantle 
of  protecting  law.  If  the  hand  of  avarice  dare  assault  the  one 
or  the  torch  of  malice  the  other,  let  retribution  fall  swift  and 
dreadful  as  the  thunderbolt. 

Thus  shall  be  ushered  in  that  better  day,  in  whose  kindly 
light  shall  thrive  not  greed  but  right,  not  Mob  but  Law. 


JOHN  BROWN. 


By  J.  H.  FINLEY,  of  Knox  College. 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 

John  Huston  Findley  was  born  at  Grand  Ridge,  Illinois. 
He  was  a  graduate  from  Ottawa  Illinois  High  School,  June, 
1881,  and  valedictorian  of  his  class.  He  then  remained  out  of 
school  the  following  two  years,  at  the  end  of  which  period  he 
entered  Knox  College,  Galesburg,  Illinois,  and  graduated  from 
this  institution,  June,  1887.  He  received  the  essay  prize  in  his 
freshman  year  on  the  subject,  "The  Jew  in  Modern  Politics;" 
and  won  the  oratorical  prizes  at  Knox  College  contest,  the 
inter-collegiate  contest,  and  the  inter-State  contest.  The  title 
of  his  production  on  these  three  occasions  was  "John  Brown," 
and  it  was  a  very  vivid  and  earnest  appeal  for  a  little  kind  feel 
ing  for  the  memory  of  poor  John  Brown.  As  soon  as  the  tele 
gram  announcing  Mr.  Fin.ley's  victory  was  received  the  bells  of 
Galesburg  rang  out  in  quick  succession,  and  it  is  stated  how  a 
bold  "prep"  broke  through  the  doors,  and  crawled  through  the 
dark  passages  to  the  college  roof,  broke  a  piece  from  the  old 
bell  with  an  axe,  so  drunk  was  he  with  glee.  At  the  reception 
and  banquet  tendered  Mr.  Finley,  a  beautiful  memento  of  the 
occasion  presented  was  a  piece  of  metal  finely  polished,  laid  in 
in  a  plush  case,  bearing  the  inscription,  "Knox  College  Bell. 
Broken  for  Finley,  May  5,  1887."  In  the  fall  of  1887  he  entered 
upon  the  post-graduate  course  of  Johns  Hopkins  University, 
Baltimore,  Maryland,  remaining  in  this  institution  until  Febru 
ary,  1889,  when  he  accepted  the  position  of  secretary  of  the 
New  York  State  Charities  Aid  Association,  which  position  he 
fills  with  entire  satisfaction.  In  June,  1890,  on  invitation,  he 
delivered  the  master's  oration  on  the  subject,  "A  New  Science." 
Mr.  Finley  is  a  young  man  about  twenty-five  years  old,  and  for 
so  young  a  man  he  has  made  an  excellent  showing. 

C77) 


178  Winning  Orations. 


THE  -ORATION. 

Delivered  at  the  Inter-State  Oratorical  Contest,  at  Bloomington,  Illinois, 
May,  1887,  taking  first  prize.  Judges:  Hon.  PITMAN  SMITH,  Hon.  JOHNSON 
BRIGHAM,  Hon.  J.  H.  ROWELL,  Gov.  J.  B.  FOKAKER,  Rev.  PHILIP  BROOKS, 
Senator  J.  R.  HAWLEY. 

Far  up  the  wooded  slope  of  one  of  the  Adirondacks  there 
is  a  lone  grave.  It  is  marked  by  no  tall  monument,  and  but 
for  its  very  remoteness  and  seclusion  there  in  the  \\ildness  of 
those  enchanted  hills,  it  might  be  passed  unnoticed.  An  old 
mossy  tombstone  resting  against  a  huge  rock  marks  it.  There 
are  several  inscriptions  upon  the  stone.  One  faintly  records 
the  death  of  a  Revolutionary  patriot.  Beneath  it  another,  a 
strange  companion  for  the  former,  reads:  "John  Brown,  exe 
cuted  at  Charlestown,  Va.,  December  2d,  1859."  At  these 
words  the  bleak  and  cold  Adirondacks  vanish.  The  summits 
of  the  Blue  Ridge  appear  in  the  distance.  The  Shenandoah 
winds  dreamily  through  its  fertile  valley.  Northward  the 
heights  along  the  Potomac  are  seen;  and  nearer,  the  village  of 
Charlestown.  And  see!  beyond  the  village  spires  a  gibbet 
arises  against  the  blue  sky,  and  from  the  gloomy  prison  an  old 
man  with  flowing  beard  and  hoary  head,  like  a  prophet  of  old, 
is  led  out  to  die — John  Brown,  the  traitor  or  the  patriot,  the 
murderer  or  the  martyr  —  which? 

One  generation  makes  history,  the  next  records  it.  It  is 
ours  to  collect  the  memorials  of  our  Civil  War.  Every  hamlet 
cherishes  them;  every  city  builds  them  in  marble  or  bronze, 
but  more  universal  than  these  is  that  dearer  memorial  of  the 
heart  which  enshrines  the  heroes  of  that  war.  Time  will  erase 
all  these,  and  the  coming  centuries  will  know  but  two  characters 
as  representatives  of  this  period  —  Lincoln  the  Emancipator, 
and  Grant  the  Soldier.  Yet  there  is  another,  who,  from  his 
peculiar  part  in  the  struggle,  cannot  be  soon  forgotten  —  the 
grim,  gray  herald  of  the  conflict.  Before  him  we  pause  in  doubt. 
His  only  monument  is  a  gibbet,  his  epitaph,  "traitor;"  yet  we 
seem  to  hear  the  war-cry  of  the  Union  armies  marching  to 
victory,  led  by  that  soul  whose  body  lay  moldering  on  the  dis 
tant  mountain. 

The  striking  singularity  of  his  life  has  made  its  outlines 
familiar.  It  seems  taken  from  the  chronicles  of  another  page. 
It  has  no  counterpart  in  American  history.  An  old  man,  Brown 


John  Brown.  179 

left  his  wild  home  on  the  Adirondacks  to  take  part  in  the  slav 
ery  struggle  in  Kansas.  Impatient  of  the  peaceful  submission 
of  the  Free-State  settlers,  he  at  once  resisted  the  depredations 
and  outrages  of  the  pro-slavery  men,  and  began  retaliatory 
measures.  With  a  small  band  of  men,  among  them  his  sons,  he 
committed  that  deed  known  as  the  Pottawatomie  murders, 
dragging  from  their  homes  at  midnight  five  unarmed  pro- 
slavery  men  and  killing  them  in  cold  blood.  In  the  border 
warfare  thus  begun  he  took  so  prominent  a  part  that  the  very 
name  of  "Old  John  Brown"  was  a  source  of  terror  to  his  en 
emies.  When  the  struggle  ended,  he  left  Kansas  and  conveyed 
a  number  of  slaves  from  Missouri  to  Canada.  A  few  months 
later  he  made  his  startling  appearance  at  Harper's  Ferry;  seized 
the  national  arsenal,  held  it  for  two  days.  Finally  captured,  he 
\vas  tried,  convicted,  hanged. 

Such  is  the  brief  story  of  his  life  as  the  world  knows  it;  yet 
little  of  the  man  is  revealed  in  these  bare  facts.  Lives  are 
measured  by  motives  and  results.  His  life  was  noble  or  base, 
great  or  insignificant,  according  as  the  motives  inspiring  it 
were  noble  or  base,  the  influence  exerted  by  it  great  or  mean. 

Many  judge  him  wholly  by  these  facts.  To  them  his  deeds 
are  the  plottings  of  a  heart  burning  for  revenge.  He  entered 
Kansas  to  avenge  the  wrongs  of  his  sons,  to  fight  Missouri,  to 
incite  war  between  the  North  and  South.  Urged  by  his  blind 
insanity  and  frenzied  hate  he  made  the  foolish  and  criminal 
attack  upon  Harper's  Ferry,  and  was  rightly  adjudged  mur 
derer,  insurrectionist,  traitor.  True,  in  the  midst  of  his  mur 
derous  deeds  he  avowedly  sought  the  freedom  of  the  slave. 
But  assassins  of  presidents  have  pleaded  the  good  of  the 
country;  and  the  anarchist,  as  he  hurls  his  bomb,  shouts  for 
the  liberty  of  the  oppressed.  Is  Brown,  then,  for  this  the  less 
a  traitor,  the  more  a  patriot?  If  a  crazed  fanatic,  under  the 
pretext  of  a  worthy  end,  may  thus  take  the  law  into  his  own 
hands  and  execute  it  after  his  own  insane  idea,  where  is  our 
protection  against  the  outlaw  and  the  mob?  We  were  at  that 
time  in  a  critical  position.  But  for  this  mad  act  the  sectional 
chasm,  by  a  few  more  delicately  arranged  compromises,  would 
have  been  successfully  bridged,  thousands  of  lives  and  millions 
of  dollars  saved,  and  slavery  quietly  and  peacefully  removed. 
Others  hold  that  his  influence  in  bringing  on  the  war  was  in- 


i8o  Winning  Orations, 

finitesimal.  Like  other  fanatics,  he  leaped  beyond  the  defen 
sive  ramparts  of  common  prudence,  and  falling,  the  conserva 
tive,  the  sensible  men,  were  left  to  defend  the  principle  and 
secure  the  object  for  which  he  foolishly  and  futilely  became  a 
martyr. 

If,  then,  we  measure  his  deeds  by  the  standard  of  human 
law;  if  we  view  his  life  in  its  rugged  exterior  alone;  if  we  esti 
mate  his  influence  by  the  unsuccessful  end  of  his  designs- 
his  character  must  be  denounced,  his  life  be  termed  a  failure, 
and  his  whole  public  career  be  utterly  condemned. 

As  great  worlds  course  nightly  through  the  skies  unseen 
do  they  not  reflect  the  light  of  a  hidden  sun?  So  the  life  of 
John  Brown  would  long  since  have  gone  out  in  darkness  did  it 
not  shine  with  the  light  of  eternal  right  and  moral  heroism. 
The  purpose  which  inspired  his  life  was  the  emancipation  of 
the  slave,  and  behind  that  purpose  was  compassion  for  the 
oppressed  —  a  purpose  born  of  the  "Puritan  idea"  of  freedom 
and  justice,  by  his  direct  descent.  Note  the  steps:  His  ances 
tors  fled  from  Europe  to  America  for  individual  liberty;  his 
grandfather  died  in  the  war  of  the  Revolution  for  the  liberty  of 
his  countrymen;  he  was  executed  for  the  liberty  of  a  despised 
race. 

With  a  Puritan  sternness  he  had  more  than  a  Puritan  tender 
ness.  See  him  as  he  sits  watching  through  the  long  winter 
night  by  the  bedside  of  that  sick  child.  Note  the  kindness  with 
which  he  always  treated  his  prisoners;  the  gentleness  with 
which,  when  on  trial,  he  met  the  curses  of  his  foes,  the  rebukes 
of  his  friends;  or  see  him  as  on  his  way  to  the  gallows  he  stoops 
to  kiss  that  negro  child.  Can  you  believe  that  revenge  could 
live  in  that  heart?  Ah!  no.  It  was  the  wail  of  a  race  in  bond 
age  ever  ringing  in  his  soul  that  led  him  on. 

The  black  night  of  Pottawatomie  is  past.  Through  the 
trees  that  border  the  creek  the  morning  sun  shines  upon  the 
mutilated  and  bloody  faces  of  five  stark  bodies.  Where  is  the 
murderer?  A  short  distance  up  the  stream  in  the  cover  of  the 
forest  a  little  band  of  roughly  clad  men  are  seated  around  a 
rude  table.  They  are  silent  as  one  of  their  number,  an  old  man 
with  long,  white  beard,  in  low  broken  tones  asks  a  morning 
blessing.  There  are  blood  stains  on  his  folded  hands.  What 
a  scene  is  this!  Hypocrite?  No.  Here  is  the  true  man  con- 


John  Broivn.  181 

sistent  with  himself.  He  saw  that  dark  deed  necessary,  and  he 
did  it.  Without  the  shedding  of  blood  there  was  no  remission 
of  this  sin.  Slavery  was  not  to  be  talked,  preached,  or  educated 
out  of  existence.  Men  had  talked,  but  the  slave  ships  only  in 
creased  their  loads.  The  slave  territory  was  widening.  With 
Kansas,  more  would  be  seized.  What  other  means  would 
answer?  "Providence,"  said  he,  "has  made  me  an  actor,  and 
slavery  an  outlaw."  He  took  the  law  into  his  own  hands,  but 
for  no  personal  interest.  He  struck,  during  a  national  crisis, 
upon  the  solid  ground  of  real  principle,  in  a  cause  not  personal, 
not  local,  not  even  national,  but  human. 

Fanatic,  madman,  fool,  if  you  please;  such  have  been  the 
world's  great  reformers  —  men  who  stake  their  lives  on  a  prin 
ciple.  "Wise  men  argue  questions;  fools  decide  them."  Our 
legislators  had  discussed  and  enacted  compromises  for  forty 
years.  They  had  now  removed  that  old  landmark  —  the  Mis 
souri  Compromise  —  and  the  western  territory,  once  secure,  was 
again  with  the  reach  of  slavery.  With  the  foresight  of  a  states 
man,  Brown  saw,  and  said,  that  slavery  and  the  Union  could 
not  exist  together;  but  wiser  and  more  truly  patriotic  than  the 
statesman  who  cried,  "The  Union,  slavery  or  no  slavery,"  he 
said,  "Down  with  slaver}-."  Upon  that  conviction  he  raised  his 
arm  in  Kansas.  The  ruffians  halted;  the  Free-State  men  took 
courage;  the  territory  was  won  for  freedom. 

\Ye  are  not  surprised,  then,  to  find  him  in  that  last  heroic 
scene  of  his  life,  daring,  with  a  handful  of  men,  to  meet  a 
nation;  facing  an  ignominious  death,  and,  what  is  worse,  an  all 
but  universal  execration  for  a  race  which  had  no  rights  white 
men  were  bound  to  respect.  Mad  as  his  attempt  may  appear, 
it  has  glorious  parallels  in  history.  Leonidas  at  Thermopylae, 
Schamyl  on  the  borders  of  Russia,  Toussaint  L'Ouverture  in 
St.  Domingo,  failed  as  did  he.  Had  we  stood  beside  him  in 
Charlestown  prison  on  the  evening  of  his  capture,  we  might 
have  said,  "Yes,  he  failed;"  but  to-day  we  say,  "He  did  not 
fail."  His  death  made  all  men  either  the  friends  or  foes  of 
slavery.  Between  the  North  and  the  South  stood  John  Brown's 
gibbet.  Henceforth  it  was  slavery  or  Union.  Compromise  was 
no  longer  possible.  Had  he  succeeded,  he  must  have  failed. 
His  failure  was  his  success. 


1 82  Winning  Orations. 

"For  humanity  sweeps  onward;  where  to-day  the  martyr  stands 
On  the  morrow  crouches  Judas  with  the  silver  in  his  hands; 
Far  in  front  the  cross  stands  ready  and  the  crackling  fagots  burn, 
While  the  hooting  mob  of  yesterday  in  silent  awe  return 
To  glean  up  the  scattered  ashes  into  History's  golden  urn." 

Fearlessly,  heroically,  he  met  his  fate.  Hear  him  as  he 
stands  before  the  Virginia  court  to  say  why  sentence  should 
not  be  pronounced  upon  him:  "I  see  a  book  kissed  here  which 
I  suppose  to  be  the  Bible.  That  book  teaches  me  that  all 
things  'whatsoever  I  would  that  men  should  do  unto  me  1 
should  do  even  so  to  them.'  I  have  endeavored  to  act  upon 
that  instruction.  I  believe  that  to  have  interfered  as  I  have  in 
behalf  of  His  despised  poor  was  not  wrong,  but  right.  Had  I  so 
interfered  in  behalf  of  the  rich,  the  powerful,  the  so-called  great, 
every  man  in  this  court  would  have  deemed  it  an  act  worth}' 
of  reward  rather  than  punishment.  Now,  if  it  is  judged  neces 
sary  that  I  should  forfeit  my  life  for  the  furtherance  of  the  ends 
of  justice,  and  mingle  my  blood  further  with  the  blood  of  my 
children  and  with  the  blood  of  millions  in  this  slave  country 
whose  rights  are  disregarded  by  wicked  and  unjust  enactments, 
I  submit."  Byron  dying  amid  the  marshes  of  Missolonghi, 
La  Fayette  bleeding  at  Brandywine,  and  shall  I  say  Washing 
ton  at  Valley  Forge,  showed  not  such  disinterested  bravery, 
such  generous  devotion.  Traitor?  Then  were  the  brave  who 
fell  at  Lexington  traitors.  They  taught  us  this,  "that  we  may 
resist  with  arms  a  law  which  violates  the  principles  of  natural 
justice."  Emmet  did  it  in  Ireland;' Wallace,  in  Scotland;  Gari 
baldi,  in  Italy,  and  we  honor  them;  John  Brown  did  it  in  Amer 
ica,  the  land  of  the  free,  and  we  hanged  him. 

Is  this  his  fitting  and  final  reward?  The  soaring  shaft  that 
stands  by  Potomac's  stream  answers,  No.  The  monuments, 
which  a  grateful  people  have  erected  to  the  memory  of  those 
who  died  for  the  slave,  say,  No.  The  gratitude  of  millions 
freed  from  bondage  says,  No.  And  the  day  will  come  when 
even  the  mountains  of  Virginia  will  echo  back  the  answer,  No. 


THE   MAN   AND  THE   STATE. 


By  PAKK.E  DANIKI.S,  of  W abash  College. 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 

Parke  Daniels  was  born  in  Rockville,  Parke  County,  Indiana, 
on  the  4th  day  of  October,  1865.  He  was  graduated  from  the 
Rockville  public  schools  in  May,  1882,  and  on  the  i6th  of  the 
following  September  entered  the  senior  department  of  the  pre 
paratory  school  of  Wabash  College,  Crawfordsville,  Indiana, 
graduating  at  the  close  of  the  year  with  the  honor  of  first-prize 
man  in  declamation.  In  the  fall  of  1883  he  entered  college 
proper,  and  soon  developed  a  strong  liking  for  the  work  of 
the  literary  society.  He  soon  took  rank  as  a  debater,  and 
throughout  his  college  course  maintained  the  reputation  of 
being  a  superior  writer  and  speaker.  His  share  of  honors  won 
in  college  for  excellence  with  the  pen  and  on  the  platform  was 
large.  As  the  representative  of  his  college  in  the  State  orator 
ical  contest  he  won  the  privilege  of  representing  the  "Hoosier 
State"  in  the  inter-State  contest.  His  style  of  delivery  was 
said  to  be  easy  and  effective,  receiving  the  highest  mark  of 
the  nine  discourses.  It  is  impartial  to  add  that  but  for  the 
marking  on  thought  by  Governor  Foraker  he  would  have  taken 
first  prize.  How  strange  that  Mr.  Daniels  should  have  written 
so  much  democracy  in  his  speech  being  an  earnest  Republican. 
In  later  years  he  has  won  a  good  reputation  as  a  political 
speaker.  In  September,  1887,  he  entered  the  law  office  of 
McDonald,  Bulter  &  Snow,  Indianapolis,  as  student  and  clerk, 
which  position  he  held  over  three  years.  Business  has  called 
Mr.  Daniels  into  the  South,  and  he  is  now  temporarily  located 
in  Mississippi  as  superintendent  of  manufacturing.  It  is  his 
purpose,  however,  soon  to  return  to  the  law,  in  which  profession 
he  is  destined  to  be  successful. 

(183) 


1 84  Winning  Orations. 


THE  ORATION. 

Delivered  at  the  Inter-State  Oratorical  Contest,  at  THoomington,  Illinois' 
May,  1887,  taking  second  prize.  Judges:  Hon.  PITMAN  SMITH,  Hon.  JOHN 
SON  BRIGHAM,  Hon.  J.  H.  ROWELL,  Gov.  J.  B.  FORAKER,  Rev.  PHILIP 
BROOKS,  Senator  J.  R.  HAWLEY. 

"The  worth  of  a  State,  in  the  long  run,"  wrote  John  Stuart 
Mill,  "is  the  wo  rth  of  the  individuals  composing  it."  "We  put 
too  much  faith  in  systems  and  look  too  little  to  men,"  was  the 
opinion  of  Lord  Beaconsfield;  and  a  late  German  writer  of  our 
century  holds  it  to  be  an  unhealthy  state  of  affairs  "when  the 
man  is  sacrificed  to  the  citizen." 

In  these  varying  phases  is  found  the  expression  of  a  hidden 
half-truth  that  has  been  the  battle-ground  of  the  ages.  Men 
have  been  slow  to  learn  and  declare  the  fact  of  their  intrinsic 
superiority  over  States.  While  the  few  may  have  recognized 
the  true  sovereignty  —  the  individual  man  —  it  has  been  the 
superstition  of  the  many  to  accept  the  principle  of  State 
omnipotence  and  bend  the  knee  to  the  efficacy  of  law. 

This  form  of  superstition  is  not  a  thing  entirely  of  the  past. 
During  the  period  of  our  country's  life  it  has  experienced  an 
emphatic  decay  and  a  pronounced  revival  as  well.  Amid  the 
scenes  that  marked  the  dawn  of  the  nineteenth  contury,  that 
epoch  memorable  in  the  history  of  liberty  as  the  birth-period 
of  the  "common  man,"  the  old  belief  that  States  could  do  all 
and  should  be  all  went  down,  but  could  not  be  forgotten. 
Once  more,  to-day,  the  tide  of  political  thought  is  setting  back 
toward  the  idea  of  a  "paternal"  policy  of  government.  A 
century  of  free  thought  and  free  discussion  has  bred  among 
the  rank  and  file  a  high  degree  of  political  self-consciousness. 
The  people  are  rising  to  a  knowledge  of  their  power  as  law 
makers  and  rulers,  and  demand  a  trial  of  their  o\vn  law.  The 
"labor  candidate"  is  abroad  in  the  land;  the  "farmer  candi 
date"  is  formidable,  and  the  liquor  interests,  alas!  so  unprotected 
in  our  day  and  generation,  are  clamoring  for  protection  in  their 
"rights."  Every  class,  every  section,  every  interest,  is  demand 
ing  recognition  and  legislation.  Thus  is  democracy  put  upon 
its  test.  Many  ask,  "Will  it  endure?"  Wherefore  returns  the 
old  superstition,  firm,  enduring  throughout  the  ages,  to  urge  as 
the  only  safeguard  of  democratic  institutions  —  the  wide  exten 
sion  of  State  control. 


The  Man  and  the  State.  185 

It  is  suggested  that  our  modern  civilization,  rapidly  advanc 
ing,  intensely  practical  in  its  character,  bringing  in  its  deep 
complication  the  most  minute  divisions  of  labor,  demands  not 
less  but  more  government.  In  the  marvelous  achievements  of 
private  enterprise  are  seen  monopoly  and  oppression.  On  all 
sides  arise  the  evidences  of  a  vast  disproportion  existing  be 
tween  the  different  parts  of  our  social  structure.  While  one- 
passes  his  life  in  an  atmosphere  of  poverty  and  destitution,  not 
daring  to  claim  one  foot  of  the  earth  which  God  has  made  for 
all  men,  another  enjoys  wealth  and  luxury  and  comfort;  he  has 
acres  numbered  by  thousands  —  he  is  lord  paramount;  the  other 
is  vassal. 

All  this  we  know  to  be  radically  wrong.  Though  poverty's 
lament  is  the  threadbare  theme  of  the  ages,  we  cannot  close 
our  eyes  and  hearts  to  the  cause  of  humanity  — 

"  Nor  hear  with  a  disdainful  smile 
The  short  and  simple  annals  of  the  poor." 

But  whence  and  how  shall  the  remedy  come?  Manifestly  it 
must  come  from  society  which  owes  it.  But  through  what 
agency  shall  society  apply  its  remedy?  Once  more  the  answer 
is  caught  up,  resurrected  from  the  tomb  of  heathen  civilization: 
"  By  the  intervention  of  that  power  through  which  alone  society 
as  an  abstract  personality  can  act  —  the  State.  Let  the  State 
abolish  the  right  of  property  in  land.  Let  the  State  buy  and 
control  the  railroad  and  the  telegraph.  Suppress  the  middle 
men  who  stand  between  production  and  consumption.  Let  the 
State  be  banker,  merchant,  landlord,  teacher,  parent,  to  us  all 
for  our  mighty  civilization  demands  a  form  of  government  which 
shall  be  more  responsible  to  the  individual  for  his  welfare,  and 
more  potent  to  satisfy  his  ever-increasing  desires." 

Thus  reasoning  we  are  enabled  to  establish  and  verify  a 
theory  of  government  which  is  well  called  "paternalism." 
Plausible,  indeed,  are  these  arguments,  but  are  they  adequate? 
Do  they  comprehend  in  their  scope  the  matter  of  price  that 
must  be  paid  the  State  for  its  services?  Do  they  cover  the 
phase  of  the  question  that  is  not  seen  as  well  as  the  phase  that 
is  seen?  Look  just  beyond  this  frost-work  of  theory.  Is  it  an 
exalted  standard  of  individual  character,  a  free  and  vigorous 
people,  an  advancing  civilization,  that  you  see?  Not  so. 
Rather  it  is  likely  that  amid  a  grand  confusion  of  princip^s 
and  privileges  you  will  see  national  degeneracy  and  individual 


1 86  Winning  Orations. 

dependency  —  a  tyrant,  as  it  were,  sitting  upon  a  throne;  it  is 
the  rule  of  despotism  most  terrible,  and  through  and  in  it  all 
you  read  the  motto  of  a  departed  civilization:  "Men  made  only 
for  the  State." 

But  is  the  man  made  for  the  State?  The  chief  sophism  of 
the  ancient  law-giver,  and  of  the  modern  theorist  as  well,  con 
sists  in  confounding  the  idea  of  society  with  the  idea  of  the 
State,  by  attributing  to  these  organisms  the  same  end  and 
destiny.  Were  the  hypothesis  true  the  action  of  the  State 
might  be  extended  illimitably.  But  it  is  false.  Society  is  a 
grand  aggregate  of  human  character,  a  federation  of  men, 
"veritable  beings  endowed  with  immortality,"  who  "have  a 
different  destiny  from  that  of  States."  The  social  pulse  throbs 
with  the  energy  of  individual  life.  Social  forces  are  dynamical 
and  active;  government  is  all  mechanical,  inert,  passive.  Gov 
ernment  has  no  being,  it  is  but  form,  and  perishable.  States 
and  governments  are  born  but  to  die.  And  yet,  as  mankind 
moves  onward  in  the  march  of  civilization,  keeping  time  with 
the  everlasting  refrain  of  "freedom,"  the  heavy  ordnance  of 
government  must  lumber  on  as  well;  its  forms  must  yield  to 
that  "increasing  purpose,"  which  through  the  ages  runs  —  there 
must  be  improvement  in  the  sphere  of  authority.  And  there 
has  been  progress  here.  How  is  it  shown.  One  machine  is 
better  than  another  of  the  same  kind,  because  it  better  accom 
plishes  the  purpose  for  which  both  were  made.  One  form  of 
government  surpasses  another  only  in  so  far  as  it  conforms 
more  perfectly  to  the  idea  of  personal  rights,  and  gives  better 
expression  to  the  individual  citizen's  worth.  Men  speak  of  the 
"paternal  care,"  and  "solicitude"  of  the  State  and  of  the  "bene 
fits  of  government."  These  are  false  and  delusive  phrases.  What 
more  is  the  State  that  an  index  of  sheer  power?  "Government 
began  in  tyranny  and  force,"  and  has  continued  in  that  character 
from  the  dawn  of  society  to  the  present  time  —  a  conservative, 
restraining  influence.  What  power  has  given  to  the  past  what 
of  beauty  and  good  and  worth  it  contains?  Not  the  State. 
What  power  sends  the  spirit  of  energy  and  industry  and  life 
coursing  through  the  great  arteries  of  the  present?  What 
power  is  building  the  structure  of  civilization  ever  and  to-day? 
Not  the  State,  but  the  man;  the  unit  is  doing  all  this.  It  is 
the  character  of  the  State  to  stand  as  a  grim  sentinel  on  every 


The  Man  and  the  State.  187 

path  of  achievement,  challenging  all  innovation,  impeding  all 
progress.  It  speaks  the  words  of  ill-omen  and  death,  "Thus 
far  and  no  farther  shalt  thou  go."  But  the  individual  says, 
"I  am  free;  I  am  progressive;  I  will  climb  loftier  heights  of 
achievement."  And  thus  it  is  by  the  force  and  energy  of  in 
dividual  character  that  the  world  is  pushed  along. 

The  State  is  made  for  the  man.  The  question  which  nations 
must  answer,  and  answer  for  their  weal  or  woe,  is:  Where  shall 
State  function  stop  and  individual  action  begin? 

Says  one,  "the  State  is  the  moral  being  organized  in  society 
for  the  preservation  of  rights  and  justice."  The  immediate 
function  of  government  is  protection,  the  spirit  of  all  its  laws 
should  be  justice.  But  government  is  not  bound,  in  duty  or 
obligation,  to  secure  to  the  individual  his  due  measure  of  hap 
piness.  The  chief  obstacle  which  stands  between  the  desire 
for  happiness  and  its  attainment  is  not  the  fact  of  the  interfer 
ence  of  other  men,  but  the  frailty  of  human  nature.  When, 
therefore,  we  say  that  because  it  is  the  function  of  government 
to  protect  men  in  their  rights,  it  should  secure  to  them  that 
measure  of  happiness  they  are  entitled  to  enjoy,  we  must  say 
that  government  should  protect  men  against  their  own  greed, 
their  own  lust,  their  own  improvidence;  in  a  word,  that  govern 
ment  should  protect  men  against  themselves.  Such  a  theory 
is  false  in  conception  and  would  be  fatal  in  practice.  Man  has 
free  will,  and  he  has  the  right  to  liberty,  higher  and  antecedent 
to  that  of  happiness.  Underlying  the  structure  of  society  is 
the  law  of  equal  freedom.  Every  man  has  the  right,  God- 
given  and  supreme,  to  the  fullest  exercise  of  all  his  powers 
compatible  with  the  same  right  in  others.  To  secure  this  right, 
to  enforce  this  law,  is  the  first  and  supreme  function  of  govern 
ment.  Let  the  State  over-step  this  line  of  duty  and  it  is  apt  to 
become,  no  longer  a  protector,  but  an  aggressor.  Rightly 
enough  the  State  is  clothed  with  certain  duties  pertinent  to  the 
general  welfare  and  the  conduct  of  public  business.  It  carries 
the  mail,  it  educates  the  poor,  it  wields  the  strong  arm  of  the 
"police  power"  preserving  order,  protecting  life,  health,  and 
social  comfort.  But  it  will  not  do  to  say  that  because  the 
State  does  all  these  things  well  it  can  and  should  do  more. 
Whither  does  this  process  of  reasoning  tend?  Read  the  an 
swer  in  the  experience  of  nations.  Turn  to  the  Europe  of  to- 


1 88  Winning  Orations. 

day.  What  nations  are  the  freest,  yet  withal,  the  most  enter 
prising  and  happy?  They  are  those  whose  laws-encroach  least 
upon  the  domain  of  personal  activity;  where  individuality  has 
the  broadest  scope  where  the  power  of  the  government  is  least 
felt. 

Take  France.  Her  history  is  a  history  of  bloodshed  and 
revolution;  but  at  last  France  uplifts  her  head  among  the 
proudest  and  freest  nations  of  the  earth,  to  declare  with  them 
the  great  truth,  that  "within  limits  of  right  all  human  transac 
tions  should  flow  from  the  voluntary  action  of  man." 

But  how  stands  the  case  in  Germany,  the  land  of  Luther 
and  Schiller.  Germany  leads  the  world  in  learned  thought; 
her  armament  is  unsurpassed,  here  government  is  strong  and 
pure,  but  above  all  it  is  "paternal,"  and  concealed  in  that  ele 
ment  of  paternalism  is  one  of  the  most  arrant  despotisms  that 
exist  in  all  Europe  or  the  world.  How  fares  the  cause  of  lib 
erty  there?  What  of  the  German  citizen?  A  veritable  slave, 
so  firmly  held  within  the  restraints  of  the  law  that  he  has  be 
come  a  mere  chattel  in  the  hands  of  an  iron-willed  prince. 
And  it  is  well  that  Bismarck  should  now  draw  tighter  the  bands 
of  the  law,  thereby  to  increase  the  power  and  fortify  the 
strength  of  the  German  Empire;  for  if  the  time  ever  comes, 
and  it  may  be  near  at  hand,  when  again  the  war-cry  of  France 
shall  ring  out  for  him  to  hear,  his  armament  must  needs  be 
strong  to  avail  against  the  storm  that  will  follow.  When  again 
the  inspiring  strains  of  the  Marseillaise  shall  echo  among  the 
vine-clad  hills  and  across  the  waters  of  the  German  Rhine  let 
Prince  Bismarck  beware,  for  he  will  be  destined  to  meet  an 
army  of  men,  strong  in  the  spirit  of  freedom,  and  imbued  with 
that  true  love  of  country  which  is  born  alone  of  a  free  govern 
ment  and  whose  power  is  well-nigh  invincible. 

75ut  go  elsewhere.  Search  the  history  of  the  far  past  or 
scan  the  horizon  of  the  contemporary  world.  Wherever  there 
is  a  paternal  government,  one  that  assumes  to  discharge  those 
functions  which  by  the  laws  of  nature  are  assigned  to  the 
sphere  of  personal  effort,  there  will  be  found  a  degenerating 
people,  a  stagnant  civilization.  It  is  the  sternest  teaching  of 
all  history  that  a  paternal  government  cannot  but  degrade  the 
manhood  and  dwarf  in  its  development  the  character  of  the 
people  it  rules. 


The  Man  and  the  State.  \  89 

As  far  as  may  be  practicable  let  the  people  care  for  them 
selves.  Such  is  the  verdict  of  experience.  It  is  not  to  the 
principle  of  paternalism  that  we  must  look  for  the  protection 
and  perpetuity  of  democratic  institutions,  nor  vet  to  the  oppo 
site  and  equally  dangerous  extreme  of  individualism.  Between 
these  opposing  principles  lies  the  vantage  ground  of  American 
politics.  Upon  the  wholesome  mean  rests  the  solvent  of  hostile 
ideas,  and  out  of  it  grows  the  scheme  of  our  political  salvation. 
Self-help  generates  stability;  personal  responsibility  begets 
manhood.  The  American  people  are,  above  all  else,  thoroughly 
individualized,  thoroughly  independent,  and  wholly  capable  of 
governing  themselves.  What  has  brought  about  this  result? 
It  is  the  principle  of  individual  responsibility,  in  the  family,  in 
the  community,  in  the  State  and  nation;  it  is  this  idea,  put  into 
practice,  that  has  brought  to  the  history  of  the  American  people 
a  halo  of  glory;  and  it  is  this  idea,  handed  down  to  us  in  the 
memory  of  Lexington  and  Valley  Forge,  enshrined  in  the  im 
mortal  deeds  of  those  who  fought  away  their  lives  that  men 
might  enjoy  it  —  this  must  be  our  rock,  the  hope  of  our  future. 

Yet,  there  is  withal  a  charm  that  lingers  about  the  ideal  of 
strong  government.  It  is  natural  for  men  to  echo  in  their 
hearts  the  poet's  longing: 

"  Oh  for  a  man  with  head,  heart,  hand, 
One  strong,  still  man  in  a  blatant  land, 
Aristocrat,  autocrat,  democrat  —  one, 
Who  can  rule  and  dare  not  lie." 

But  may  this  blind  worship  of  government  die  out  from  the 
hearts  of  men,  until  it  be  lost  in  the  fervid  glory  of  a  new  and 
better  regime.  Away  with  the  belief  that  the  State  can  make 
us  "o'er  all  the  ills  of  life  victorious."  Let  reformer  and  states 
man  alike  reject  the  principle  of  State  omnipotence  and  strive 
to  imbue  the  individual  man  with  a  consciousness  of  his  own 
power;  and  when  both  shall  be  actuated,  not  by  greed  of  gain 
or  glory,  but  by  that  broad  and  wise  philanthropy  which  is 
grounded  in  common  sense  and  which  rises  above  sentimen 
tality,  then  will  right  relations  exist  between  the  man  and 
the  State;  liberty  and  authority  will  meet  on  common  ground, 
recognizing  their  union  in  a  common  cause  —  that  cause  the 
exaltation  of  human  character,  for  this  is  "the  end  of  Nature, 
to  reach  unto  the  coronation  of  her  king." 


PRINCIPLES   OF   POLITICAL  PARTIES. 


By  R.  G.  JOHNSON,  of  DePauw  University. 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 

Robert  Grant  Johnson,  winner  of  the  inter-State  oratorical 
contest,  at  Greencastle,  Indiana,  in  1888,  was  born  near  Craw- 
fordsville,  Indiana,  in  1865.  His  parents  belong  to  the  thrifty 
farming  class  of  this  State.  In  the  district  school  where  Mr. 
Johnson  acquired  his  early  education  he  was  particularly  dis 
tinguished  by  studious  habits  and  a  remarkable  faculty  of 
memorizing.  He  was  always  a  favorite  at  the  Friday  "dress 
parades"  in  the  school-room,  and  at  school  exhibitions.  He 
took  great  interest  in  history  and  books  of  travel,  and  at  an 
early  age  was  master  of  Dickens's  Child's  History  of  England. 
At  the  age  of  sixteen  he  became  restless  and  dissatisfied  with 
the  farm.  While  toiling  under  the  hot  sun  in  the  fields  his 
mind  was  off  to  the  city  dwelling  upon  other  vocations.  His 
cousins  from  college  came  to  visit  him,  and  he  began  to  form 
ideas  of  college  life,  and  finally  told  his  father  of  his  determin 
ation  to  leave  the  farm.  Being  an  only  son  of  sensible  parents 
he  met  with  the  most  substantial  encouragement.  In  the  fall 
of  1883  Mr.  Johnson  entered  DePauw  University,  at  Greencastle, 
and  showed  his  capacity  by  making  two  years  of  preparatory 
work  in  one.  In  his  freshman  year  he  became  a  member  of 
the  Delta  Kappa  Epsilon  College  fraternity,  in  which  he  took 
an  active  part;  he  also  turned  his  attention  to  speaking,  win 
ning  the  first  prize  in  declamation  over  the  sophomores  and 
juniors,  and  was  thenceforward  recognized  as  a  formidable  con 
testant  and  debater.  Gifted  with  a  voice  of  remarkable  rich 
ness  and  strength,  which  he  assiduously  cultivated,  an  earnest 
and  direct  style  of  speaking,  he  always  made  a  good  impression. 
At  the  inter-State  contest  Mr.  Johnson  delivered  a  speech  on 
"Principles  of  Political  Parties,"  which  was  peculiarly  adapted 

(190) 


Principles  of  Political  Parties.  191 

to  the  political  outlook  of  Indiana  at  that  time.  After  gradu 
ating  he  engaged  in  the  campaign  of  1888,  making  speeches  for 
the  Republican  party,  with  marked  success.  As  soon  as  elec 
tion  was  over  he  went  to  Chicago,  and  found  employment  as  a 
newspaper  reporter,  but  in  a  few  months  entered  the  law  office 
of  Sheldon  &  Sheldon.  In  the  fall  of  1889  he  entered  the 
senior  class  of  the  Chicago  College  of  Law,  graduating  in  June, 
winning  the  first  prize  of  fifty  dollars  for  the  best  essay.  He 
is  now  admitted  to  the  bar,  and  holds  the  position  of  managing 
clerk  for  Sheldon  &  Sheldon. 


THE  ORATION. 

Delivered  at  the  Inter-State  Oratorical  Contest,  at  Greencastle,  Indiana, 
May,  1888,  taking  first  prize.  Judges:  Gov.  J.  B.  FORAKER,  Judge  FRAKE, 
Rev.  STEWART,  Prof.  WAREY,  Messrs.  WINSTEIX  and  MITCHENER. 

ANALYSIS. 

I.  Logical  ground  for  existence  of  parties. 

II.  Necessity  of  two  parties. 

III.  Derivation  of  principles  underlying  political  parties. 

IV.  The  principles  traced  in  political  history. 

V.  Outcome  of  attempts  of  independent  parties,  based  upon  narrow  is 

sues,  to  subvert  dominant  parties,  e.  g.,  Abolition,  Free-soil,  etc., 
Labor,  Socialistic,  and  Prohibition  parties  considered. 

VI.  Errors  of  third  partyism. 

VII.  Power  of  public  sentiment  to  secure  reform  through  existing  parties. 

VIII.  Conclusion. 

We  live  under  a  government  of  majorities.  Through  party 
organization  alone  can  the  will  of  the  majority  be  ascertained. 
If  there  were  no  parties,  no  principles  enunciated,  no  tickets 
nominated,  each  citizen  must  write  his  own  ballot,  and,  from 
the  multiplicity  of  interests,  the  conflict  of  desires,  endless 
confusion  would  result.  Parties  represent  ideas,  convictions, 
concerning  the  rights  of  men  in  government.  To  secure  ma 
jorities  parties  must  be  organized  upon  the  broadest  political 
principles.  As  the  principle  is  narrowed  the  number  of  fol 
lowers  is  correspondingly  decreased.  Parties  representing  nar 
row  issues  can  no  more  secure  majorities  than  can  a  religious 
denomination  representing  details  in  worship  include  a  majority 
of  Christians.  Without  organization  upon  the  broadest  prin 
ciples  majorities  are  impossible.  Two  fundamental  principles 
give  two  parties. 


192  Winning  Orations. 

Whence  are  these  principles  derived?  They  are  found  in 
the  universal  law  of  action  and  reaction.  This  law  exists  in  the 
nature  of  all  matter,  of  all  force.  Consider  a  shooting  star,  a 
sweeping  hurricane,  a  political  revolution,  a  religious  reforma 
tion:  they  are  but  manifestations  of  an  universal  conflict  be 
tween  two  forces  —  one  tending  to  produce  change,  the  other 
to  resist  it.  Progress,  social  or  political,  is  the  resultant  of  this 
conflict.  This  law,  inherent  in  mind  and  matter,  divides  men 
into  radicals  and  conservatives,  and  upon  this  division  are  estab 
lished  political  parties  around  whose  principles  the  people 
gather  and  cluster  as  bits  of  steel  about  the  poles  of  a  magnet. 
What  is  all  political  history  but  the  record  of  the  action  and 
reaction  of  radical  and  conservative  ideas  crystalized  about 
contending  principles  of  government. 

The  conflict  has  always  been  between  the  ideas  of  strong- 
central  and  local  self-government — a  constant  struggle  to 
maintain  an  equilibrium  of  these  forces.  The  dagger  of  Brutus 
sought  not  so  much  to  stab  the  body  of  Caesar  as  to  destroy  the 
tendency  toward  centralization.  The  ruins  of  rich  cities  upon 
the  Rhine  stand  solemn  monuments  of  the  reaction  against 
that  declaration  of  absolutism,  "I  am  the  State."  In  Russia, 
in  Austria,  in  Germany,  this  conflict  prevails.  The  last  seven 
centuries  of  Irish  history  is  but  a  desperate  struggle  between 
these  same  antagonistic  forces.  The  principles  of  the  Whig 
party  in  England,  "that  all  positive  institutions  exist  for  the 
general  good,"  stood  arrayed  against  the  Tory  principle  of 
"the  divine  right  of  kings."  It  flamed  like  the  motto  of  Con- 
stantine,  an  inspiration  to  the  Commons;  it  fired  with  dauntless 
courage  Hampden  and  Pym  and  Cromwell  and  Milton.  Con 
stantly  resisted  by  the  conservative  idea  that  "the  king  can  do 
no  wrong,"  it  steadily  gained  the  vantage  ground,  securing  self- 
government  for  the  Englishman  at  home,  rising  victorious  in 
New  England,  winning  the  day  at  Lexington,  at  Bunker  Hill, 
and  Yorktown,  until  we  behold  its  legitimate  fruit  in  the  funda 
mental  principle  of  our  government,  that  "the  people  are  the 
true  source  of  all  political  power." 

At  the  formation  of  our  Constitution,  these  ever-active  and 
opposing  principles  were  at  work,  contending  for  the  shaping 
of  the  Republic's  destiny  and  creating  the  two  great  parties 
that  must  ever  control  it  —  one  advocating  strong  central,  the 


Principles  of  Political  Parties.  193 

other,  local  self-government.  But  did  the  acceptance  of  the 
Federal  principle  in  the  Constitution  destroy  the  logic  by  which 
Hamilton  urged  a  strong  central  government,  or  that  by  which 
Jefferson  contended  for  the  opposing  principle  of  State's  sover 
eignty?  By  no  means.  These  same  parties,  actuated  by  the 
same  persistent  principles,  divided  upon  the  interpretation  of 
that  Constitution  and  have  passed  down  the  century  in  unbroken 
parallel  lines.  Whatever  their  name  they  have  never  lost  iden 
tity:  whether  denominated  Federalist  or  anti-Federalist,  Re 
publican  or  Democrat,  one  has  been  the  liberal,  the  other  the 
strict  constructionist  in  the  interpretation  of  the  Constitution, 
and  because  of  this,  one  has  always  desired  more,  the  other  less, 
legislation  on  measures  of  national  reform  and  progress.  Ham 
ilton's  tariff  policy,  internal  improvements,  the  disposition  of 
the  public  lands,  Calhoun's  nullification  resolutions  —  all  in 
volved  the  question  of  the  relative  functions  of  State  and  na 
tional  government.  It  was  thus  when  Webster  met,  in  matchless 
eloquence,  the  champion  of  the  South;  the  same  conflict  when 
our  fathers  shouldered  muskets  and  marched  to  the  fields  of 
death.  Back  of  the  lines  of  steel  at  Gettysburg  and  Appo- 
mattox,  aiming  every  bayonet,  loading  every  cannon,  inspiring 
every  charge,  sublime  in  the  smoke  of  conflict,  stood  colossal  the 
opposing  principles  of  State  and  nation.  Ah!  there  was  more 
than  a  social  and  moral  issue  in  that  contest.  Our  Lincolns, 
our  Sumners,  our  Grants,  met  the  Davises,  the  Stephenses,  the 
Lees,  not  on  the  moral  issue  of  slavery  only  —  they  fought  for 
a  broader  idea,  a  political  principle.  They  fought  for  the  in 
tegrity  of  the  nation. 

The  war  wrote  in  characters  of  blood,  "Each  State  is  sub 
ordinate  to  the  nation;"  but  it  left  human  nature  unchanged, 
and  the  silent  conflict  of  centralization  and  local  self-govern 
ment,  agitated  by  new  issues,  goes  on. 

An  era  of  good  feeling,  as  during  Monroe's  administration, 
may  prevail,  hiding,  temporarily,  these  differentiating  princi 
ples  from  public  view;  nevertheless,  they  exist.  They  are  the 
criteria  to  which  every  political  issue  is  referred.  Because  one 
believes  that  the  national  government  should  foster  home  in 
dustries  by  protection,  the  other  that  the  function  of  govern 
ment  ceases  with  securing  "tariff  for  revenue  only,"  the  two 
great  parties  are  divided  upon  the  tariff  question.  Opposition 


194  Win fiing-  Orations. 

to  the  inter-State  commerce,  the  government  postal  telegraph, 
and  the  Blair  educational  bills,  is  based  upon  the  fundamental 
idea  that  such  legislation  is  an  invasion  of  the  rights  reserved 
to  the  States. 

Both  from  necessity  and  expediency  two  great  parties  exist. 
By  mutual  criticism  both  are  held  within  the  bounds  of  reason. 
As  the  suspension  of  one  physical  force  would  disperse  the 
myriad  planets  into  chaos,  or  the  suspension  of  the  other  bring 
them  to  a  dead  center,  so  the  removal  of  the  motive  force  un 
derlying  one  party  would  bring  despotism  as  the  suspension  of 
the  other  would  drive  us  to  anarchy  and  confusion. 

When  these  great  principles  are  in  abeyance,  minor  parties, 
based  upon  social  and  moral  issues,  spring  into  existence. 
Such  parties  fail  because  they  involve  no  political  principle 
broad  enough  to  subvert  that  of  a  dominant  party.  Did  the 
Abolition  party  enact  the  fourteenth  and  fifteenth  amend 
ments?  The  Liberal  party,  the  Free-soilers,  the  anti-Masons, 
the  Greenbackers,  all  have  folded  their  tents  and  sleep  in 
peace,  while  the  two  parties  representing  principles  of  govern 
ment  ever  prevail.  Does  not  the  failure  of  these  portend  the 
same  fate  for  the  Labor  and  Socialistic  parties  of  to-day? 

The  error  of  outside  party  reformers  is  a  misconception  of 
the  essential  nature  of  parties  and  their  relation  to  the  people. 
All  problems  of  law  and  politics  have  a  real  and  an  ideal  side. 
Neglecting  the  real,  idealists  evolve  abstract  theories,  fanatics 
attempt  to  put  them  into  practice.  Having  but  one  idea,  they 
consider  it  of  supreme  importance,  and  viewing  it  alone,  and 
not  in  its  relation  to  the  other  necessary  ideas  of  government, 
they  have  a  distorted  view  of  all.  Their  theories  presuppose 
an  ideal  state  of  mankind,  unattainable  so  long  as  human  nature 
is  the  basis  of  society.  In  practice,  the  third  partyist  accom 
plishes  the  opposite  of  his  theory.  Under  the  theory  of  eman 
cipating  the  slaves  third  partyism  defeated  Clay  and  elected 
Polk,  precipitating  the  Mexican  war  and  the  further  extension 
of  slavery.  It  elevated  to  the  presidency  that  tool  of  the  slave 
power,  Buchanan,  well-nigh  wrecking  the  Union.  But  what  of 
the  Independent  Prohibition  party?  Shall  six  million  temper 
ance  men  forsake  the  parties  of  Hamilton  and  Jefferson,  of 
Jackson  and  Clay  —  parties  established  upon  principles  of  gov 
ernment —  for  a  party  based  upon  a  social  and  moral  issue? 


Principles  of  Political  Parties.  195 

What  superior  intelligence  or  force  of  reason  entitles  one 
third  partyist  to  dictate  to  twenty  sincere  temperance  men  of 
a  dominant  party  just  how  prohibition  shall  come?  He  points 
to  no  laws  enacted  by  assemblies  of  his  political  faith,  to  no 
triumph  at  the  polls.  In  New  York,  Massachusetts,  Indiana, 
Ohio,  Michigan,  third  party  tickets  have  defeated  temperance 
legislation,  and  whenever  it  fails  to  co-operate  with  a  dominant 
party  its  effect  is  to  put  the  temperance  cause  into'the  hands 
of  its  enemies.  Five  States  have  already  demonstrated  the  in 
ability  of  the  Prohibition  party  to  accomplish  any  good  results 
through  its  own  strength,  and  it  only  remains  for  the  other 
thirty-three  to  consign  it  to  oblivion.  Every  temperance  en 
actment  has  come  through  dominant  parties;  every  attempt 
at  reform  through  a  third  party  has  resulted  in  disaster. 

A  political  party  is  not  called  into  existence  to  serve  a 
transient  issue,  then  pass  away  forever.  The  causes  of  real 
political  difference  are  opinions  with  respect  to  principles  of 
government;  these  causes  are  permanent,  inherent  in  the  nature 
of  man.  Social  and  moral  issues  do  not,  cannot  originate  or 
sustain  a  political  party;  for  when  these  issues  are  thrust  into 
politics  they  involve  the  principles  underlying  the  parties  which 
of  necessity  already  exist,  and  upon  these  basal  principles  must 
every  political  issue  be  finally  settled. 

Back  of  every  reform  and  every  statute  stands  public  senti 
ment,  which  rests  not  on  parties,  statutes  or  creeds,  but  upon 
the  perception  of  right  and  wrong  implanted  in  the  bosom  of 
man.  Public  sentiment  is  the  omnipotent  power  that  enacts, 
enforces,  enthrones,  dethrones.  What  is  your  statute,  your 
penalty,  unless  behind  it  stands  a  living  public  sentiment?  The 
man  is  a  hero  who  violates  the  law.  What  statute  will  ever 
stigmatize  John  Brown  as  a  murderer,  or  write  the  name  of 
Benedict  Arnold  alongside  that  of  "the  Fatherof  His  Country  ?" 
Public  sentiment  rules  a  political  party  with  inexorable  decree. 
It  said  to  the  Democratic  party,  "Put  Boss  Tweed  behind 
prison  bars,"  and  it  was  obeyed.  It  spoke  again,  and  gray- 
haired  Jacob  Sharp  passed  to  his  grave  through  the  same  cell. 
Not  third  party,  but  public  sentiment  dictated  that  sentence  in 
the  Republican  platform,  "Iowa  has  no  compromise  to  make 
with  the  saloon."  Public  sentiment  sustained  the  mayor  of  an 
Irish-American  city  who  decreed  that  only  the  stars  and  stripes 


196  Winning  Orations. 

should  float  from  the  flag-staff  of  the  City  Hall.  It  pronounced 
against  a  third  term.  It  said  to  the  hero  of  Appomattox,  in 
whose  presence  the  crowned  heads  of  Europe  had  stood  un 
covered,  and  whose  praises  had  been  echoed  in  every  tongue 
of  the  civilized  world,  "Thus  far  and  no  farther,"  and  the  most 
distinguished  citizen  of  the  world  retired  to  the  shades  of 
private  life.  Without  public  sentiment  nothing  can  succeed; 
with  it  nothing  can  fail.  Temperance  reform  will  come,  not  by 
reason  of  third  party,  but  in  spite  of  it.  It  will  come  because 
the  sublimest  forces  of  a  Christian  civilization  are  at  work 
creating  a  public  sentiment  before  which  evil  will  flee  as  from 
the  avenging  angel  of  God.  Statesmen  must  adopt  the  will  of 
their  constituents  or  fall  before  the  flood-tide  of  popular 
opinion.  Political  parties  based  upon  essential  principles  of 
government,  and  commanding  majorities,  alone  wield  sufficient 
power  to  enforce  the  dictates  of  public  opinion. 

These  outside  movements  are  but  ripples  upon  the  great 
sea  of  political  thought;  they  can  never  change  the  direction 
of  resistless  ocean  currents.  Identified  with  permanent  parties 
are  the  rich  legacies  of  patriotic  statesmen;  the  mystic  chords 
of  memory,  stretching  from  a  thousand  battle-fields  where  sleep 
heroic  dead,  bind  men  to  these  parties  with  ties  that  can  not  be 
severed  by  transient  issues.  The  feeling  of  loyalty,  inspired  by 
father's  sword,  hallowed  by  mother's  tears,  throws  a  halo  of 
glory  around  their  principles  that  can  never  be  extinguished 
by  the  will-o'-the-wisp  of  independent  parties.  Issues  come 
and  issues  go,  but  political  parties,  based  upon  inherent  tenden 
cies  of  human  nature,  dignified  by  brilliant  intellects,  cemented 
by  the  blood  of  brave  men,  go  on  forever.  Abstract  theorists 
may  battle  against  nature,  cultured  independents  may  seek  to 
degrade  their  principles,  but  the  parties  representing  them  will 
stand  —  they  will  stand 

"As  some  tall  cliff  that  lifts  its  awful  form, 

Swells  from  the  vale  and  midway  leaves  the  storm; 
Though  round  its  breast  the  rolling  clouds  are  spread 
Eternal  sunshine  settles  on  its  head." 


THE  DEFENDER  OF  THE  CONSTITUTION. 


By  HARRY  M.  HYDE,  of  Beloit  College. 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 

Harry  Morrow  Hyde,  the  second-prize  orator  of  1888,  was 
born  at  Freeport,  Illinois,  October  6,  1869.  After  he  graduated 
from  the  Freeport  High  School  he  became  a  student  of  Beloit 
College,  Beloit,  Wisconsin,  in  September,  1888.  Upon  the 
inter-State  contest  occasion  he  chose  as  his  subject,  "The 
Defender  of  the  Constitution,"  and,  with  a  rich,  sonorous  voice, 
was  master  of  his  subject.  Mr.  Hyde  is  a  polished  speaker, 
and  an  enterprising  young  man.  He  is  engaged  as  city  editor 
of  the  Dubuque  (Iowa)  Daily  Times. 


THE   ORATION. 

Delivered  at  the  Inter-State  Oratorical  Contest,  at  Greencastle,  Indiana, 
May,  1888,  taking-  second  pri/.e.  Judges:  Gov.  J.  B.  FORAKER,  Judge  FRAKE, 
Rev.  STEWART,  Prof.  \\  AKKV,  Messrs.  WINSTEIN  and  MITCHENER. 

While  the  press  and  the  orator  are  busy  discussing  the  great 
social  and  political  evils  which  threaten  our  republic,  we  must 
not  forget  that  it  is  upon  the  legislator  —  the  law-maker — that 
the  final  solution  of  these  problems  depends.  For  after  discus 
sion  must  come  legislation,  and  law  is  supreme.  Reform,  to 
be  effective,  must  begin  in  the  halls  of  our  legislatures. 

This,  then,  is  my  excuse  for  telling  over  again  to-night  the 
story  of  a  man  who  united  in  himself  many  of  the  traits  of  the 
ideal  representative.  It  is  an  old  story.  The  lesson  of  his  life 
is  a  simple  one,  but  it  is  a  story  that  can  never  be  told  too 
often.  It  is  a  lesson  which  the  people  of  these  States  can 
never  learn  too  well. 

The  United  States  nominally  became  a  nation  in  1776.  But 
it  was  not  until  many  years  afterward  that  the  Union  was  firmly 

(IQ7) 


198  Winning  Oratiojis. 

cemented.  For  a  while  the  feeling  of  a  common  weakness  and 
of  a  common  danger  bound  the  States  together.  For  a  while, 
too,  the  great  spirits  of  the  Revolution  kept  the  Ship  of  State 
from  going  to  pieces  on  the  rock  of  Disunion. 

But  the  sparsely  settled  territory  of  the  United  States  was 
scattered  along  the  whole  Atlantic  coast.  The  interests  of  the 
different  sections  were  varying  and  often  hostile.  The  Con 
gressional  delegations  of  the  several  States  came  together 
rather  as  the  ambassadors  of  foreign  powers  than  as  the  Con 
gress  of  a  common  country. 

Even  before  the  beginning  of  this  century  two  of  the  South 
ern  States  had  passed  ordinances  of  nullification.  They  had 
declared  that  no  State  is  bound  to  obey  the  supreme  law  of  the 
land.  Nor  let  us  lay  the  whole  blame  of  this  disaffection  upon 
the  South.  Let  us  remember  that  during  the  war  of  1812  even 
staunch  old  New  England  threatened  to  secede.  In  fact,  dur 
ing  some  period  of  our  history,  nearly  every  section  of  the 
country  has  been  affected  by  the  virus  of  disunion.  This,  then, 
is  the  great  problem  which  our  fathers  had  to  solve. 

The  question  has  been  settled  now  with  the  pen  and  witli 
the  sword.  And  while  we  give  due  credit  to  the  soldier,  and 
to  the  writer,  let  us  not  forget  the  man  who  fought  out  the 
great  battle  in  the  forum  of  Congress.  In  the  face  of  odds, 
against  an  hitherto  invincible  opponent  he  fought,  and  he 
saved  the  Union! 

When  slavery  began  to  press  for  a  solution,  its  advocates 
seized  upon  this  old  and  hitherto  unsettled  question  of  nullifi 
cation  and  State  rights. 

In  1828  Calhoun  published  his  first  book  on  the  subject,  and 
thereafter  the  apostle  of  secession,  in  Congress  and  out  of  it, 
lost  no  time  in  spreading  the  seed  of  his  doctrine.  He  is  in  the 
Senate  now,  triumphant,  dictatorial.  The  men  in  the  North 
cringe  before  his  sarcasm,  his  tempestuous  eloquence.  They 
can  not  unravel  the  subtilities  of  his  crafty  argument.  Where 
is  the  man  who  shall  meet  this  giant  spirit  of  disunion?  Who 
shall  save -the  charter  of  our  liberties  from  the  hand  of  dis 
loyalty?  The  crisis  has  come  and  God  has  made  ready  the 
man  for  the  crisis. 

Now  he  is  a  boy  and  there  falls  into  his  hands  a  handker 
chief  on  which  is  printed  the  Constitution.  The  boy  reads  it, 


The  Defender  of  the  Constitution.  1 99 

his  imagination  is  aroused,  he  ponders  it  well.  Now  through 
discouragement,  through  poverty,  he  is  at  college,  and  he  de 
livers  a  Fourth  of  July  address.  There  are  a  few  sentences  in 
which  contain  the  prophecy  of  his  life-work.  "There  is  not  a 
single  government  in  Europe,"  he  said,  "which  is  not  based  on 
usurpation  and  established,  if  established  at  all,  by  the  sacri 
fice  of  thousands.  But  in  the  adoption  of  our  present  system 
of  jurisprudence  we  see  the  powers  necessary  for  government 
voluntarily  flowing  from  the  people,  their  only  proper  origin  and 
directed  to  the  public  good,  their  only  proper  object."  Here 
is  embalmed  the  spirit  of  the  mission  which  he  came  into  the 
world  to  perform.  A  clear  sense  of  national  unity  and  of  the 
only  means  by  which  the  United  States  can  remain  a  nation. 

And  now  Webster  is  a  lawyer,  an  eloquent,  successful  law 
yer,  the  first  jurist  in  New  England.  Massachusetts,  the  State 
of  his  adoption,  whom  he  loved  so  well,  calls  him  from  the  bar 
and  sends  him  to  represent  her  in  the  councils  of  the  nation. 
His  practice,  income,  and  professional  reputation,  are  immense, 
but  he  lays  them  all  down,  and  obedient  to  the  call  goes  to 
Washington.  A  second  and  third  time  he  is  sent  back  to 
Congress,  where  the  echo  of  his  oratory  fills  the  ear  of  the 
nation.  And  now  the  old  "Bay  State,"  grown  proud  of  the  son 
of  her  adoption  and  his  achievements,  envelopes  him  in  the 
nobler  mantle  of  Senator. 

Daniel  Webster  is  now  forty-eight  years  old,  in  the  full  flush 
and  vigor  of  his  transcendent  powers.  He  is  ready  now  to 
speak  the  last  word  of  his  great  message,  to  fulfill  his  mission 
to  the  people  of  these  States.  Here  then  is  the  man  whom 
God  has  made  ready  for  the  first  great  crisis  of  disloyalty,  and 
now  his  opportunity  has  come. 

One  day  he  walked  from  the  Supreme  Court  into  the  Senate 
Chamber,  and  heard  there  Colonel  Hayne  heaping  taunts  upon 
the  New  England  of  his  love,  and  weaving  into  a  glittering  and 
delusive  fabric  the  doctrine  of  disunion  and  disloyalty. 

The  next  day  Daniel  W^ebster  obtained  the  floor  to  deliver 
his  reply  to  Hayne.  The  South  was  triumphant  and  scornful; 
the  North  anxious,  half  expectant  and  half  afraid.  And  well 
it  might  fear.  For  in  the  speech  of  Hayne  reason  and  elo 
quence  had  conspired  together.  But  the  hour  came,  and  when 
thousands  had  gathered  to  listen,  while  the  Union  trembled 


20O  Winning  Orations. 

and  disloyalty  laughed  in  its  sleeve,  the  glorious  old  Titan  lifted 
himself  to  speak.  He  was  tranquil,  dignified,  colossal,  bearing 
himself  with  an  ominous  calm.  For  under  the  great  forehead 
his  dark  eyes  were  burning  with  a  dangerous  fire.  The  people 
looked;  they  listened;  they  were  moved;  they  melted  before 
the  glowing  thought  and  the  stern  logic  of  the  orator.  "Mr. 
President,  I  shall  enter  upon  no  encomium  of  Massachusetts. 
She  needs  none.  There  is  her  history  —  the  world  knows  it  by 
heart.  The  past  at  least  is  secure.  There  is  Boston,  and  Lex 
ington,  and  Concord,  and  Bunker  Hill  —  and  there  they  will 
remain  forever."  And  in  remembrance  of  that  hour  the  grand 
old  commonwealth  has  ever  poured  out  upon  Daniel  Webster 
the  choicest  vials  of  her  love. 

Then  he  turned  to  the  attack  upon  the  Constitution.  What 
he  said  lives  in  the  memory  of  us  all.  The  supreme  importance 
of  the  Constitution  as  the  bond  of  national  unity  was  fully 
demonstrated,  and  the  great  speech  closed  with  that  wonderful 
period,  "Liberty  and  Union,  now  and  forever — one  and  in 
separable." 

And  with  those  wrords  the  life-work  of  Daniel  Webster  is 
accomplished.  The  great  service  which  he  was  born  to  render 
to  his  country  is  achieved.  They  mark  the  topmost  summit  of 
his  eloquence,  and  thus  much  is  certain:  That  of  all  the  vic 
tories  gained  by  Union  forces  in  the  rebellion  these  two  are 
the  most  important:  The  debate  with  Hayne,  and  the  battle  of 
Gettysburg. 

Nor  did  the  effect  of  that  great  speech  die  with  the  orator 
and  with  tie  hour.  Eloquence  gave  it  life  and  wings.  And 
with  the  lips  of  every  school  boy,  and  in  every  hamlet  of  our 
nation,  Webster  has  repeated  his  message  to  the  people  of 
these  States  until  the  idea  of  national  unity  has  become  the 
very  center  and  core  of  the  national  character. 

Daniel  Webster,  whom  nature  endowed  with  a  trumpet 
voice  and  the  forefront  of  a  lion,  spent  all  his  life  in  preparing 
for  that  debate.  His  early  study  of  the  Constitution,  the  sharp 
training  of  his  legal  battles,  the  exhaustive  studies  and  the 
victories  of  the  constitutional  lawyer,  the  eloquence  and  the 
statecraft  of  the  Congressman,  all  these  looked  forward  with  a 
single  :ye  to  that  day.  And  so  it  was  that  out  of  the  North 
came  forth  this  champion,  who,  with  a  logic  as  irresistible  as 


The  Defender  of  tlic  Constitution.  20 1 

the  granite  of  his  native  hills,  should  meet  and  overthrow  the 
fiery  eloquence  and  delusive  sophistry  of  the  South.  What 
man  has  poured  upon  the  altar  of  his  country  a  nobler  offering? 

We  know  there  are  those  who  call  Webster  ambitious; 
who  forget  the  great  things  of  which  we  have  been  telling, 
and  reserve  for  him  all  the  reproach,  all  the  scorn,  they  can 
heap  into  that  one  word  —  ambitious.  But  if  to  the  defender 
of  the  Constitution,  to  the  savior  of  the  Union,  be  denied  "that 
last  infirmity  of  noble  minds,"  what  man  may  aspire?  On 
what  could  worthy  ambition  be  better  based? 

We  know,  too,  that  the  private  character  of  Webster  had 
many  faults.  But  we  can  afford  to  let  the  shadow  of  his  noble 
deeds  fall  over  them  and  hide  them  from  our  sight. 

In  1852,  at  his  country  home,  again  under  the  shadow  of 
the  great  mountains  and  within  sound  of  the  great  sea,  the 
monumental  life  of  Daniel  Webster  was  ended.  When  William 
Pitt,  the  foremost  orator  of  the  British  Parliament,  passed  away, 
P^ngland  took  him  home  to  her  heart  in  the  grand  old  Abbey 
of  Westminster.  She  raised  over  his  tomb  the  tribute  of  a 
loving  nation  at  once  a  memorial  and  an  inspiration  to  all  the 
future.  But  we  — 

"We  have  no  high  cathedral  for  his  rest, 
Dim  with  proud  banners  and  the  dust  of  years, 
All  we  can  give  him  is  New  England's  breast 
To  lay  his  head  on  —  and  ten  thousand  tears." 

But  oh!  thou  might\-  spirit  of  eloquence,  teach  us  still  the 
lesson  of  thy  life.  Teach  us  to  reverence  high  resolve,  and 
resolute  endeavor,  and  noble  achievement.  Teach  our  lawyers 
to  plead  for  justice  and  for  truth.  Give  to  our  statesmen  a 
steadfast  incorruptibility,  a  far-seeing  vision,  and  an  eye  single 
to  the  interest  of  the  State.  Help  us  all,  each  in  his.  own 
sphere,  to  labor  for  the  welfare  of  our  country  and  the  advance 
ment  of  humanity. 


THE  PHILOSOPHY  OF  INEQUALITY. 


By  ED.  H.  HUGHES,  of  Wesleyan  University. 


INTRODUCTORY. 

Ed.  H.  Hughes  was  the  champion  orator  of  1889.  His  ora 
torical  style  partakes  somewhat  of  the  ministerial  order.  His 
delivery  was  in  striking  harmony  with  the  thought  of  his  oration, 
and  his  self-possession  before  the  audience  was  acquired  by 
a  year's  work  in  the  ministry.  He  is  a  graduate  of  the  Wes 
leyan  University,  Delaware,  Ohio,  and  a  member  of  the  college 
society,  Delta  Tau  Delta.  Mr.  Hughes  is  now  attending  the 
Boston  Theological  School  to  more  thoroughly  prepare  him 
self  for  his  life-work  as  minister  in  the  Methodist  denomination. 


THE  ORATION. 

Delivered  at  the  Inter-State  Oratorical  Contest,  at  Grinnell,  Iowa,  May, 
i88g,  taking  first  prize.  Judges:  Gov.  J.  B.  FORAKER,  Pres.  CHAMBERLAIN, 
Prof.  S.  G.  BARNES,  Judge  J.  T.  PHILLIPS,  Gen.  J.  C.  COWIN,  Hon.  W.  N. 
HORNER. 

Society  is  regulated  by  two  laws.  One  is  inherent;  the 
other,  adopted.  One  is  immutable;  the  other,  variable.  One 
is  self-executive;  the  other  must  be  executed  by  chosen  means. 
Inherent  law  establishes  the  fact;  adopted  law  Supplies  the 
conditions.  The  one  says,  "  Man  must  think; "  the  other,  "  Man 
must  proclaim  thoughts  that  prove  loyalty  to  government." 
The  mutual  relation  of  these  laws  often  leads  to  a  false  classi 
fication.  Inherent  law  has  been  declared  legalized  custom  and 
captious  minds  have  clamored  for  its  annulment.  Futile  are 
all  endeavors  to  make  better  what  Omniscience  has  made  best. 
Reformers  propose  a  visionary  scheme  of  government  as  a 
substitute  for  the  plan  inaugurated  of  God.  Prominent  among 
their  attempts  is  the  one  whose  object  is  the  repeal  of  the  law 
of  inequality. 

(202) 


The  Philosophy  of  Inequality.  203 

Social  conditions  are  the  prolific  source  of  rebellion  against 
impurity.  Widows'  homes,  orphans'  asylums,  and  almshouses, 
stand  contrasted  with  unbroken  households,  cheerful  nurseries, 
and  brown-stone  fronts.  Men  look  indignantly  upon  this 
picture  of  social  life.  Suffering  Lazarus  excites  their  deepest 
sympathy.  Purple-clad  Dives  bears  the  odium  of  existing 
conditions.  Pity  overpowers  reason,  and  dictates  the  cry, 
"Inequality  is  a  product  of  custom,  not  of  necessity.  Custom 
must  be  brought  into  harmony  with  justice."  Influenced  by 
this  thought  our  enthusiast  gives  free  rein  to  daring  fancy,  and 
becomes  an  apostle  of  the  gospel  of  inequality. 

Is  general  inequality  avoidable?  Nature,  in  the  language 
of  analogy,  answers,  "No,"  and  makes  earnest  protest  against 
universal  equality.  "To  him  who  holds  communion  with  her 
visible  forms  she  speaks  a  various  language."  Variety  is  her 
law.  The  relations  among  her  products  are  expressed  by  the 
sign  of  inequality..  Shrubs,  trees;  hills,  mountains;  rivers, 
oceans;  islands,  continents  —  all  speak  of  inequality  in  the 
earth's  structure.  Anemone  and  oak  grow  in  the  same  soil 
and  derive  vitality  from  the  same  elements.  But  nature  is 
none  the  less  beautiful  because  of  her  lack  of  uniformity.  Her 
variety,  rather,  is  her  charm.  She  is  none  the  less  useful  be 
cause  here  she  rises  into  lofty  mountains  and  there  extends 
herself  into  rolling  prairies.  Thus  society's  analogue  declares 
inequality  to  be  an  inherent  law  of  human  relations. 

Imagination  builds  lofty  castles;  experience  levels  them  to 
the  ground.  Test  the  theory  of  universal  equality  by  the  re 
sults  of  its  operation.  Its  advocates  speak  eloquently  of  this 
Utopia,  and,  considering  their  system  only  in  its  inauguration, 
fancy  that  their  dream  may  become  a  reality.  Not  candid,  not 
truly  philosophical,  they  study  introduction  apart  from  con 
clusion.  A  factitious  sentiment  results,  leading  to  the  advocacy 
of  an  impartial  division  of  all  material  wealth.  Like  all  other 
false  doctrines  this  one  includes  only  sufficient  truth  to  render 
it  plausible.  An  inspection  of  human  character  and  environ 
ment  betrays  the  fallacy.  This  man  is  shrewd  and  industrious; 
that  man,  stupid  and  thriftless.  This  man  is  deterred  from 
labor  by  disease  and  accident;  that  man  is  advanced  to  riches 
by  health  and  good  fortune.  This  man  maintains  a  large  and 
expensive  family;  that  one  supports  himself  alone.  This  man 


2O4  Winning  Orations. 

develops  and  utilizes  all  his  powers;  that  one  wastes  his  life  in 
indolence  and  sloth.  Condition  will  eventually  respond  to 
character  and  culture;  for  inequality  of  ability  produces  in 
equality  of  attainment.  Furthermore,  the  theory  is  impracti 
cable,  because  not  all  occupations  are  equal  either  in  duties 
exacted  or  interests  involved.  The  difficulty  and  general 
utility  of  any  employment  determine  the  remuneration  of  its 
followers.  An  innate  sense  of  justice  claims  premium  for 
superiority. 

But  a  doctrine  declared  false  by  history,  and  by  reason,  de 
mands  fertility  in  expedients.  The  charm  in  the  discovery  of 
this  Elysium  must  not  be  broken  by  the  cold  logic  of  facts. 
Seeing  that  their  empire  of  equality  is  not  yet  established,  the 
upholders  of  this  theory  suggest  an  annual  redistribution. 
This  plan  would  destroy  all  incentive  to  labor.  No  man  would 
distribute  the  fruits  of  his  honest  toil  among  the  idle  and 
vicious.  Ardor  of  enterprise  would  no  longer  characterize  our 
commercial  system;  for  commerce  admits  of  but  one  equality 
—  that  of  honest  competition.  Human  nature  presents  an  in 
superable  barrier  to  the  progress  of  this  reform.  Is  it  eager 
ness  to  uplift  humanity  that  has  led  to  this  idea  of  a  division 
of  wealth?  Is  it  the  fancied  ignominy  of  poverty  that  has 
stirred  hearts  to  their  depths  and  incited  the  promulgation  of 
this  view?  Or  is  it  malicious  envy  that  has  overcome  the  in 
stincts  of  the  nobler  self  and  demanded  wealth  that  has  been 
gained  by  the  sweat  of  other's  brows?  Whatever  the  motive, 
the  result  is  invariably  the  same.  Although  these  pretended 
reforms  have  been  rendered  attractive  by  rhetorical  beaut}-; 
although  powers  of  vivid  description  have  presented  the  moral 
and  social  advantages  of  this  glittering  empire;  yet  common 
sense,  the  preventive  of  continual  revolution,  has  overcome  its 
flashy  rival,  and  fancy  has  surrendered  to  practical  truth.  The 
deceptive  currents  of  imagination  have  whirled  men  into  this 
channel  "of  appearance  where  naught  but  fallacy  reigneth." 
Enthusiasm,  unfounded  and  unbounded,  has  caused  bold  state 
ment,  reckless  conspiracy,  and  desperate  attack  against  exist 
ing  institutions.  The  scaffold  and  the  guillotine  have  changed 
imaginary  into  real  ignominy;  centuries  will  not  obliterate  the 
>ad  memorials  of  man's  folly.  The  hopeless  experiment  has 
merely  displayed  the  monumental  ignorance  of  those  who 


The  Philosophy  of  Inequality.  205 

detest,  denounce,  defy,  the  Providential  order.  The  tempest 
of  impulse  is  at  last  stilled  under  the  calming  influence  of 
cool  judgment.  He  who  properly  respects  himself,  now  asks 
nothing  more  than  a  hearty  recognition  of  his  manhood.  Men 
wisely  conclude  that  a  ship  with  a  nobler  device  upon  her 
streaming  banner  will  never  plough  the  waves  of  the  dark  and 
dreary  social  sea. 

We  study  mankind  by  comparison  and  by  contrast.  We 
begin  by  discovering  resemblances  and  end  by  contemplating 
diversities  of  character.  This  fact  is  conspicuously  illustrated 
in  our  own  America.  The  profound  German,  the  vivacious 
Frenchman,  the  strong-minded  Englishman,  the  witty  Irish 
man,  and  the  honest  Scotchman  —  all  have  contributed  to  the 
composition  of  the  national  character.  Every  American  audi 
ence  is  a  world  in  miniature.  Often  in  the  veins  of  one  person 
flows  mingled  the  blood  of  the  five  great  races.  The  qualities 
that  distinguish  nations  and  men  combine  to  produce  inequality 
in  human  endowments  and  acquirements.  This  inequality  is  as 
prophetic  as  it  is  historic.  In  one  there  burns  fires  of  sparkling 
imagination;  in  another  there  surges  powers  of  resistless  argu 
mentation.  In  one  there  glows  the  genius  for  music  or  art;  in 
another,  the  genius  for  invention  or  handicraft.  Whence  arises 
this  state  of  inequality?  Equalize  conditions,  it  is  said,  and 
you  will  equalize  character.  The  answer  is,  condition  is  rather 
the  product  of  character.  The  true,  divine  philosophy  of  in 
equality  is  found  in  the  fact  that  the  varieties  of  opportunity 
for  individual  activity  and  the  interaction  of  diversified  talents 
supply  the  only  condition  under  which  human  progress  is 
possible.  Behold  now  the  results  of  that  innovation  which 
establishes  equal ity  among  men.  Let  a  capable  power  issue 
this  decree,  "All  men  shall  be  equal."  There  shall  be  no  poor, 
no  rich;  no  weak,  no  strong;  no  ignorant,  no  learned.  What 
would  result?  The  outcome  would  be  the  creation  of  individ 
ual  independence.  No  one  can  be  dependent  upon  his  equal. 
In  fact,  the  extent  of  our  dependence  upon  any  one  is  deter 
mined  by  his  relation  to  us  and  by  his  superior  power  and 
means.  Our  dependence  upon  the  Infinite  is,  therefore,  abso 
lute.  Interdependence  among  men  gives  rise  to  universal 
brotherhood.  Establish  equality  and  you  sweep  away  influ 
ence,  the  grandest  agency  in  the  world's  amelioration.  Influ- 


-O6  Winning  Orations. 

cnce  implies  inferiority.  One  cannot  influence  him  who  is  in 
all  respects  his  equal.  Upon  this  condition  friendship's  foun 
dation  is  laid.  Love  is  the  result  of  the  soul's  influence.  Not 
even  this  divine  principle  could  exist  under  the  dominion  of 
equality.  Ordain  independence  and  you  destroy  sympathy. 
There  could  be  no  excitant  of  sympathy  if  there  \vcre  no  in 
equality  of  suffering  and  hardship.  The  breaking  of  this 
golden  band  would  mark  the  dawn  of  an  era  of  supreme  selfish 
ness  and  stoicism.  Equality  would  expel  from  the  minds  of 
men  all  thought  of  laudable  enterprise,  for  under  its  reign  there 
could  be  no  greatness.  No  name  would  shine  with  the  lustre 
of  renown.  No  heart  would  thrill  under  the  commanding  in- 

o 

fluence  of  any  historic  character.  Providence  being  merely 
general,  there  could  be  no  men  whose  marked  genius  and 
splendid  service  in  times  of  emergency  seem  to  indicate  provi 
dential  dealing.  The  regime  of  equality  would  annihilate  many 
practical  moral  virtues,  for  the  possibility  of  evil  gives  to  right 
eousness  the  coronal  glory.  If  there  were  no  penury,  no  pain, 
what  would  become  of  fortitude,  patience,  resignation?  It 
there  were  no  greatness,  no  wealth,  what  would  become  of 
benevolence,  charity,  human  pity?  If  there  were  no  luxurv 
what  would  become  of  temperance?  If  there  were  no  power 
what  would  become  of  justice?  Under  the  proposed  system 
hearts  could  never  prove  their  sterling  coinage.  The  wither 
ing  breeze  of  selfishness  would  blast  forever  pure  generosity, 
noble  self-denial,  and  heroic  devotion.  Under  the  present 
system  the  surface  of  character  may  seem  chilled  by  worldly 
cares,  or  etiquette  may  cultivate  the  art  of  pleasing,  yet  the 
warmth  of  human  sympathy  lives  in  the  depths  of  the  coldest 
heart,  and  at  times  the  dormant  fires  blaze  forth  and  betray 
the  sympathetic  nature. 

The  perversion  of  the  principle  of  inequality  arouses  oppo 
sition  to  the  principle  itself.  It  may  be  said  that  inequality 
necessitates  power  and  that  power  is  often  misapplied.  True 
it  is  that  "  man's  inhumanity  to  man  makes  countless  thousands 
mourn."  But  equally  true  it  is  that  gravitation  ceases  not  her 
operation  even  when  life  is  imperilled. 

"When  the  weak  mountain  trembles  from  on  high, 
Shall  gravitation  cease  if  you  go  by?" 


The  Philosophy  of  Inequality.  207 

Ah!  True  it  is  that  power  is  not  always  indicative  of  merit. 
True  it  is  that  misguided  power  has  baffled  reform,  prevented 
education,  neutralized  morality,  stifled  conscience,  silenced  the 
pleading  tones  of  religion  and  given  fearful  force  to  ignorance 
and  vice.  Yet  let  it  be  remembered  that  power,  although  the 
father,  is  yet  the  conqueror  of  persecution.  For  when  tin- 
legions  of  evil  have  been  routed  and  the  emblems  of  victory 
have  graced  the  banners  of  right,  then  have  been  aroused  the 
energies  of  strong  souls,  and  power  has  become  the  ally  of 
truth. 

What,  then,  is  the  proper  deduction  from  the  existence  of 
inequality?  Not  that  any  man  should  be  enslaved,  but  rather 
that  all  men  should  be  free  to  exercise  those  "inalienable 
rights"  to  which  nature  entitles  them.  Plato  may  write  of  the 
model  "Republic;"  Moore  may  find  in  "Utopia"  a  political 
and  social  paradise;  Bacon  may  describle  a  "New  Atlantis," 
but  society  will  never  be  regenerated  until  the  dawn  of  the 
joyous  morn  when  the  heralds  of  peace  shall  proclaim  tin- 
universal  equality,  not  of  accident,  nor  of  artificial  conditions, 
but  of  moral  privilege  and  of  enlightened  conscience,  and  shall 
announce  as  the  criterion  of  every  man's  conduct  — 

"  To  thine  own  self  be  true, 
And  it  must  follow  as  the  night  the  day, 
Thou  canst  not  then  be  false  to  any  man." 


RIOT  AND  REVOLUTION. 


By  J.  A.  BLATSDKLL,  of  Beloit  College. 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 

James  Arnold  Blaisdell  was  born  at  Beloit,  Wisconsin,  De 
cember  15,  1867.  Named  for  his  father,  the  distinguished 
Dr.  James  J.  Blaisdell,  of  Beloit  College,  and  the  honored 
Dr.  Arnold,  of  Rugby,  the  subject  of  this  sketch  has  thus  far 
amply  justified  the  hopes  engendered  by  his  baptismal  appel 
lations.  Mr.  Blaisdell  received  his  early  education  in  the 
grammar  schools  of  his  native  city,  and  later  spent  three  years 
in  the  Beloit  High  School.  His  final  year  of  preparation  for 
college  was  passed  in  the  Beloit  Academy,  and  in  the  fall  of 
1885  h£  entered  collegiate  life.  Early  in  his  course  he  evinced 
marked  ability  both  as  a  scholar  and  a  writer,  and  at  the  close 
of  his  freshman  year  carried  off  the  Bridgman  Prize  for  excel 
lence  in  declamation,  and  the  German  Essay  Prize,  in  which 
thought  and  style  were  the  deciding  elements.  In  his  sopho 
more  year  he  was  chosen  to  lead  his  society  in  the  public  de 
bate  of  the  Archaean  Union,  and  won  in  a  contest  of  unusual 
brilliancy.  At  the  close  of  the  same  year  he  was  a  second 
time  awarded  the  German  Essay  Prize,  notwithstanding  the 
fact  that  competition  was  open  to  all  the  college  classes.  In 
his  junior  year  he  won  the  Burke  Essay  Prize  and  also  the 
Rice  Extempore  Prize,  winning  the  latter  in  a  spirited  public 
contest  in  which  he  evinced  in  a  marked  degree  the  "ability 
to  think  on  one's  feet."  After  this  contest  his  victory  in  the 
approaching  home  oratorical  contest  was  conceded  as  a  fore 
gone  conclusion,  and  he  entered  the  inter-State  arena  with  an 
oration  generally  believed  to  be  one  of  the  best  ever  sent  from 
Beloit  College.  This  belief  was  justified  by  the  outcome  of 
the  contest,  Mr.  Blaisdell  being  ranked  first  in  thought  and 
composition  by  two  judges,  and  ranked  second  by  the  third. 

(208) 


Riot  and  Revolution.  209 

Throughout  his  college  coure  he  was  the  authorized  corres 
pondent  for  several  of  the  leading  newspapers  in  Chicago, 
Minneapolis,  and  St.  Paul.  He  filled  successively  every  posi 
tion  on  the  board  of  editors  of  the  Round  Table.  Until  his 
senior  year  he  was  undecided  whether  he  should  enter  upon 
journalism  or  the  ministry,  but  he  ultimately  chose  the  latter 
field,  entering  Hartford  Theological  Seminary  in  the  fall  of 
1889,  and  at  the  close  of  his  first  year  was  awarded  the  Scholar 
ship  Prize  of  two  hundred  dollars.  Mr.  Blaisdell  possesses  the 
generous  impulses  and  manly  qualities  of  heart  and  character 
which  go  to  make  up  a  symmetrical  manhood.  His  past  record 
promises  such  a  wise  use  and  preservation  of  his  powers  that 
one  may  fairly  believe  his  success  and  usefulness  have  but  just 
begun. 


THE  ORATION. 

Delivered  at  the  Inter-State  Oratorical  Contest,  at  Grinnell,  Iowa,  May, 
1889,  taking  second  prize.  Judges:  Gov.  J.  B.  FORAKER,  Pres.  CHAMBER 
LAIN,  Prof.  S.  G.  BARNES,  Judge  J.  T.  PHILLIPS,  Gen.  J.  C.  COWIN,  Hon.  W. 
N.  HORNER. 

It  is  said  that  Louis  the  Sixteenth  was  sleeping  one  night  in 
his  palace  at  Versailles  when  a  courier  suddenly  burst  through 
the  door  shouting:  "Sire,  the  Bastile  is  stormed!"  "It  is  a  re 
volt,"  said  the  king,  turning  to  rest  again.  "Sire,"  said  the 
messenger,  "it  is  not  revolt;  it  is  revolution!"  When  Louis 
woke  the  Reign  of  Terror  had  begun. 

Louis  sleeps  again,  and  the  Reign  of  Terror  is  done;  yet  the 
history  of  the  world  is  in  the  story  of  that  midnight  messenger. 
One  day  the  Pope  sits  supreme  in  the  Vatican  dictating  the  in 
fallible  decrees;  the  next,  the  theses  on  the  church  at  Witten 
berg  have  challenged  Pope  and  Prelate,  and  started  the  fires  of 
German  reformation.  One  night  the  stars  shine  peacefully 
through  an  Italian  sky;  at  dawn  the  flag  of  Garibaldi's  Thous 
and  is  on  the  heights  above  Palermo.  In  the  silence  of  the 
darkness  the  same  question  is  forming  as  that  which  the  mes 
senger  brought  to  Louis.  Are  the  theses  and  the  flag  but  the 
signals  of  riot?  Or  have  they  behind  them  principles  which, 
though  defeated  on  many  fields,  will  some  day  triumph  as  revo 
lution?  It  is  no  child's  conundrum;  it  is  the  momentous  di 
lemma  of  statesmen.  At  the  midnight  the  messenger  comes; 


2IO  Winning  Orations. 

and  the  world,  like  the  Bourbon  monarch  at  Versailles  startled 
from  slumber,  and  with  whirling  brain,  reads  the  theses,  marks 
the  war-flag  amid  the  rattle  of  drums  and  gathering  of  legions, 
and,  in  that  solemn,  awful  moment  of  decision  there  in  the 
darkness,  would  throw  its  very  kingdom  at  the  footstool  of  a 
prophet. 

So  every  age  has  cried:  "Tell  us,  oh  seer,  the  signs  of  revo 
lution."  The  world  called  Socrates  and  Plato  rioters;  in  a 
Roman  court  Paul  met  the  same  charge.  Ah!  could  that  world 
have  known  its  error,  Truth  need  not  have  traveled  the  road  of 
martyrdom  through  so  many  dreary  centuries! 

Let  history  be  our  seer  to-night.  Let  the  reformers  of  the 
past  guide  the  reformers  of  to-day.  Call  back,  then,  those 
great  reformers  of  history;  the  murdered  Gracchi  from  the 
Roman  forum,  Luther  from  his  sleep  at  Wittenberg,  Knox 
from  the  shadow  of  the  Parliament  House  at  Edinburgh,  Wil 
liam  of  Orange  from  a  martyr's  grave,  Gustavus  Adolphus 
from  a  warrior's  death  at  Lutzen,  the  elect  of  our  age — W7ilber- 
force  from  Exeter  Hall,  Garrison  from  his  Boston  prison, 
Phillips  from  the  broadcloth  riot  in  Faneuil  Hall,  Lovejoy 
from  sentinel-guard  upon  the  Mississippi.  When  you  have 
called  the  long  roll,  ask  what  was  the  center  aim  of  each 
revolution.  The  Gracchi  will  answer,  "  Our's  was  liberty  for  the 
poor;"  Luther  will  reply,  "Liberty  of  thought:"  William  of 
Orange,  "Liberty  for  the  nation;"  Gustavus  Adolphus,  "Lib 
erty  in  creed;"  while  these  latest  reformers  give  answer,  "W7e 
fought  for  the  liberty  of  mankind." 

If,  then,  this  history  means  anything,  it  means  that  no  rev 
olution  can  be  successful  which  does  not  promise  wider  liberty 
to  men.  We  need  go  back  only  to  the  days  of  '62  for  a  clear 
example  of  the  power  of  liberty  as  a  principle  of  revolution. 
For  two  years  the  North  had  given  of  her  bravest  and  her  best. 
Army  after  army  of  the  boys  in  blue  had  marched  away  in  eclat 
only  to  join  a  silent  soldiery.  For  every  fireside  in  the  North 
there  was  a  new-made  grave  beneath  the  Southern  sun.  And 
still  the  days  grew  darker.  England  seemed  to  espouse  the 
cause  of  disunion.  The  nation  seemed  walking  the  way  of 
darkness  and  despair.  !  Above  the  storm  at  last  there  rose  a 
statesman's  voice:  j*fl  do  not  wonder  at  the  want  of  sympathy 
on  the  part  of  England  with  us.  The  South  says,  'I  am  fight- 


Riot  and  Revolution.  211 

ing  for  slavcr\';'  the  North  says,  'I  am  not  fighting  against  it.' 
I  would  have  government  announce  to  the  world  what  she  has 
not  yet  done.  I  would  have  her  send  her  proclamation  down 
to  the  gulf:  'Freedom  to  every  man  beneath  the  stars.'  '  The 
nation  heard  and  profited.  \  It  promised  emancipation  to  the 
slaves; land  the  civilized  world  came  back  to  the  Northern 
standards  as  they  swept  onward  to  their  triumph. 

But,  while  no  movement  can  become  a  revolution  without 
liberty  as  its  essence,  it  is  evident  that  liberty  is  not  the  only 
requisite  to  its  success.  ,  The  bloodiest  pages  in  the  history  of 
riots  have  been  instigated  by  the  spirit  of  liberalism.  The 
traveler  may  still  find  the  spot  where  Madame  Roland  was 
guillotined.  From  the  palmier  days  of  wealth  she  was  led  to 
the  dungeon  and  to  death.  Is  it  strange  that,  as  she  climbed 
the  scaffold  stairs  and  saw  the  mocking  statue  of  Liberty  be 
fore  her,  she  uttered  that  cry  which  pierces  the  sternest  heart 
with  the  wildness  of  its  agony:  "Oh  liberty,  liberty;  how  many 
crimes  are  wrought  in  thy  name!" 

What,  then,  besides  liberty,  is  essential  in  revolution?  Let 
us  call  again  our  court  of  reformers.  When  the  Genoans  came 
to  Cavour  to  complain  of  the  tyranny  of  Charles  Albert  in  the 
days  when  Italy  was  struggling  for  federation,  did  he  advise 
arms,  bombs,  firebrands?  He  said:  "Gentlemen,  I  propose 
that  we  demand  a  Constitution;"  and  sixty  days  later  Charles 
had  granted  one.  When  the  American  colonies  arraigned 
George  the  Third,  the  first  four  indictments  were,  "He  has  re- 
fiAsed  us  laws."  Find  a  single  revolution  that  has  not  had  its 
dogmatic  Knox  and  its  strict  Calvin,  as  well  as  its  Luther  and 
Garrison.  History  does  not  mention  one.  Here,  then,  is  a 
crucial  distinction  between  a  movement  that  is  destined  to  end 
in  mere  riot  and  one  destined  to  become  a  revolution.  As  the 
guarantee  of  liberty,  the  one  seeks  liberty,  the  other  seeks  law. 

Yet  the  reformer  who  has  grasped  only  the  truth  that  even- 
successful  revolution  must  have  for  its  war  cry: "Wider  liberty 
under  better  law,"  knows  only  a  part  of  the  secret  of  triumph. 
There  is  another  significant  picture  of  French  riot.  It  is  of  a 
band  of  fearless  men  marching  to  the  guillotine.  They  hurry 
along  as  if  in  the  wild  enthusiasm  of  victory,  while  the  "terrible 
chorus"  of  the  Marseillaise  rings  to  the  very  stars.  History 
has  called  them  the  Girondists.  Why  did  they  succeed  only 


212  Winning  Orations. 

in  creating  a  riot  —  these  wild  singers?  They  believed,  mark 
you,  in  liberty  and  in  laiv.  They  were  the  best  citizens  France 
had.  They  sought  a  republic  as  their  goal;  they  found  death! 
Thus  they  prove  merely  rioters,  and,  standing  in  the  center  of 
the  greatest  catastrophe  of  the  eighteenth  century,  they  are 
witnesses  that  a  man  may  not  safely  throw  his  life  into  a  cause 
if  it  is  the  champion  merely  of  liberty  and  of  laiv.  The  secret 
lies  farther  and  deeper  than  that.  It  is  the  greatest  English 
statesman  who  says:  "  No  greater  calamity  can  happen  to  a  peo 
ple  than  that  it  should  break  utterly  with  the  past."  '  Reform  is 
a  growth.  The  Girondists  had  sworn  to  annihilate  the  kingdom. 
They  would  not  brook  delay:  "To-day  or  never!"  Not  so^do 
reformers  work.  They  have  the  source  of  their  power  back  in 
the  mighty  mountain  centuries  of  the  past.  They  are  willing 
to  educate  and  wait.  Like  fire-keepers  on  Persian  mountains, 
they  watch  through  dreary  centuries  for  the  man  and  the  hour. 

So  has  it  ever  been  in  the  story  of  progress.  Notice  this 
truth  in  history.  Rome!  Carthage!  Liberty  was  the  watch 
word  of  each;  for  the  defense  of  that  liberty  the  one  gave  law 
to  the  North,  the  other,  to  the  South.  Between  such  nations 
a  contest  must  be  desperate.  The  Mediterranean  is  white  witli 
the  sails  of  the  African  queen.  Hers  is  the  wealth  of  the  world ; 
hers  the  glory  of  the  past.  She  lays  the  pathway  of  her  con 
quest  through  eternal  snows  and  along  the  Alpine  heights  which 
have  never  heard  a  footfall  since  the  hand  of  the  Creator  left 
them  in  their  silence.  Carthage  meets  Rome;  Hannibal,  Fab- 
ius;  brilliance,  the  patience  of  growth;  and  Carthage  is  blotted 
from  the  earth. 

For  liberty,  under  law,  through  growth  —  these  are  the  three 
vitalizing  principles  which  give  to  revolution  its  conquering 
power.  j"jThey  are  the  historic  criteria  by  which  every  man 
may  judge  of  any  struggle  to  which  he  is  asked  to  give  his 
life. 

Yet  there  are  some  men  to  which  the  voice  of  the  past  can 
speak  with  still  more  explicit  guidance.  Sounding  down  the 
ages  comes  the  voice  of  any  ancient  seer  who  read,  in  tragic 
letters  on  a  palace  wall,  of  a  God  in  history;  and  on  the  morrow 
the  glory  of  Chaldea  was  trampled  in  the  dust.  Now  and  then 
great  souls  have  caught  the  very  battle  hymn  of  an  army  that 
moves  to  revolution  without  the  flash  of  burnished  spear  or 


Riot  and  Revolution.  2 1 3 

or  bloocl-red  banner,  j  ^The  hundred  thousand  exiles  who  have 
halted  at  the  border-pillar  of  Siberia,  to  pluck  for  the  last  time 
a  grass  blade  from  the  soil  of  Russia,  or,  once  for  all,  to  catch 
the  sunshine  of  a  tare  through  a  storm  of  tears;  the  slave  sing 
ing  at  midnight  the  songs  of  the  better  days  that  are  coming  — 
'.hi nk  you  that  they  never  heard  a  chorus  wilder  than  the  Mar 
seillaise? 

"Right  forever  on  the  scaffold;  wrong  forever  on  the  throne; 
Yet  that  scaffold  sways  the  future,  and  behind  the  dim  unknown 
Standeth  God  within  the  shadow  keeping  watch  above  His  own." 

Yes,  liberty,  law, growth,  these  three;  but  let  this  God-watch 
ing  within  the  shadow  be  also  in  the  movement,  and  that 
movement  becomes  invincible.  The  world  need  not  question 
then  whether  it  will  end  in  riot  or  in  revolution.  It  is  born  to 
triumph.  Yes,  this  Christ,  who  is  the  captain  of  all  growth, 
never  leads  his  army  to  failure.  Do  you  think  me  extreme? 
Then  read  of  the  singing  soldiers  of  Adolphus  who  conquered 
a  peace  for  Protestantism;  the  praying  soldiers  of  Cromwell 
who  started  the  march  of  Puritanism  round  the  world.  Let 
Mirabeau  speak:  "God  is  as  necessary  as  liberty  to  the  French 
people."  Nay,  let  all  history  speak.  Mark  the  advance  to 
ward  Christianity  as  the  sun-worship  of  the  East  gives  way  to 
the  one  spiritual  God  of  Mohammedanism.  Mark,  then,  the 
conquering  progress  of  the  Moslems,  because  of  the  Christian 
principle  they  had,  till  Mohammedanism  holds  its  dominion 
from  the  Caspian  to  Gibraltar  and  the  Pyranees.  Its  blood  is 
boiling;  it  will  cross  the  mountains.  Rome  will  admit  its  sway; 
Europe  shall  kneel  before  the  crescent.  Luckless  day  for  Mo 
hammedanism!  For  behind  the  mountains  was  the  cross,  and 
the  cross  was  conqueror.  Search  still  farther  the  progress  of 
pure  Christianity  as  men  have  become  strong  enough  to  bear 
its  full  light,  and  when  at  last  you  have  followed  the  "May 
flower"  through  its  storms  you  will  find  "no  Doubting  Castle 
by  the  side  of  Plymouth  Rock." 

Liberty,  law,  growth;  embracing  these  under  the  banner  of 
the  pure  faith  in  Christ,  a  revolution  is  born.  So  it  was  in  the 
very  dawn  of  history.  Lashed  in  the  bondage  of  Egypt,  a 
nation  consecrated  themselves  to  strike  for  liberty,  i  (Under 
the  thunders  of  Sinai  they  learned  their  laws.  Through  two 
centuries  and  a  half  they  had  grown  into  nationality.  Above 


214  Winning  Orations. 

them  was  their  God;  Him  only  would  they  serve.  What  won 
der  that  the  sea  held  back  the  army  of  its  waters.  The  skies 
gave  them  food.  The  desert  gave  them  drink.  For  them  the 
night  banished  its  darkness.  Peoples  melted  at  their  coming. 
Behind  them  were  chariot-wheels  that  were  broken  and  crowns 
of  centuries  in  the  dust.  So,  invincible  as  destiny,  the  cloud 
rolled  on  its  way. 

In  the  years  that  are  coming  other  Israels  will  leave  their 
bondage;  other  clouds  roll  Canaanward;  other  men  must  give 
their  lives.  Not  in  vain  will  any  soldier  fall  if  he  falls  wearing 
the  colors  of  liberty  and  law,  in  an  army  where  pulses  the 
blood  of  patient  growth,  and  for  whom  the  sign  of  the  cross  is 
the  oriflamme  of  war. 


THE   PURITAN  AND  THE  CAVALIER  IN   OUR 
NATIONAL   LIFE. 


By  S.  W.  NAYI.OK,  of  Washburn.  College. 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 

Samuel  VV.  Naylor,  the  first  successful  Kansas  orator,  was 
horn  January  7,  1864,  three  and  a  half  miles  east  of  Topeka. 
A  branch  of  his  ancestral  tree  sailed  up  the  James  River  with 
the  famous  Smith.  In  the  spring  of  1854  his  parents  joined 
the  colony  for  Kansas,  and  settled  in  Tecumseh  Township  a 
few  miles  east  of  Topeka.  Ten  years  thence,  in  the  fall  of 
1864,  his  father  was  taken  prisoner  by  Price's  forces,  but  shortly 
afterward  escaped  and  returned  home  and  died  from  exposure 
and  cruel  treatment  received  while  a  prisoner.  The  care  of  a 
large  farm  and  four  small  children  now  devolved  upon  his 
mother.  In  the  fall  of  1870  she  removed  her  family  to  Topeka 
for  the  sake  of  educating  her  children,  remained  four  years, 
and  returned  to  the  old  homestead.  Our  subject's  early  edu- 
catioi^was  obtained  in  a  country  school.  When  nineteen  years 
old  he  entered  Washburn  College.  He  found  employment  to 
sustain  him  through  a  seven  years'  course  in  this  institution  as 
steward  of  the  boarding  club,  business  manager  of  the  Argo, 
secretary  of  Gov.  Osborn's  committee  in  the  State  Senate, 
etc.  He  was  president  of  the  college  Y.  M.  C.  A.  for  four 
years,  an  active  member  of  the  Republican  club,  and  a  partici 
pant  in  college  athletics.  In  the  spring  of  1889,  under  the  in 
fluence  of  Mr.  Robt.  P.  Wilder,  he  volunteered  for  foreign 
missions,  and  through  Mr.  Naylor's  influence  no  less  than  one 
hundred  and  twenty-five  students  in  Kansas  have  taken  the 
volunteer  pledge.  His  graduating  day  was  shrouded  in  gloom. 
His  mother,  while  on  her  way  to  hear  his  graduating  exercises, 
was  thrown  from  the  buggy  on  a  hard  paving,  inflicting  injuries 
from  which  she  died  July  6,  1890.  Mr.  Naylor  is  now  taking  a 

(215) 


216  Winning'  Orations. 

course  in  the  Boston  School  of  Theology,  after  which  he  will 
sail  for  some  part  of  the  foreign  field.  Few  young  men  have 
come  to  wield  so  wide  an  influence  in  Kansas  as  Mr.  Naylor. 


THE  ORATION. 

Delivered  at  the  Inter-State  Oratorical  Contest,  at  Lincoln,  Nebraska, 
May,  1890,  taking  first  prize.  Judges:  Judge  A.  YAPLE,  NOBLE  L.  PRENTIS, 
Rev.  D.  H.  SNOWDEN,  Prof.  F.  B.  RAFTER,  PAUL  H.  HANNUS,  T.  M.  MAR- 

QUETT. 

The  Puritan  and  the  Cavalier  colliding  formed  modern  Eng 
land;  uniting,  established  our  Republic.  The  Cavalier  sprang 
from  chivalry,  the  flower  of  feudalism,  a  chivalry  fostered  by 
caste  and  maintained  by  princes.  He  defended  the  king 
against  usurpation  of  power  by  party  or  sect;  he  upheld  the 
royal  prerogative.  The  Puritan  was  born  of  freedom  of 
thought  and  of  action.  His 'awakened  conscience  revolted 
against  caste  in  Church  or  State;  he  combined  religious  inde 
pendence  with  civil  liberty.  Law  incarnate  in  royalty  was  the 
embodiment  of  Cavalierism;  law  and  liberty,  the  basis  of  Pur 
itanism. 

While  the  Cavalier  was  reinstating  the  monarchy  over 
thrown  by  Cromwell,  the  Puritan  was  founding  our  Republic. 
Later,  however,  the  Cavalier  imprinted  his  vigor  and  states 
manship  upon  our  Constitution  and  Declaration  of  Right*.  His 
lofty  principles  of  liberty  were  accompanied  by  irrepressible 
buoyancy  and  knightly  gallantry.  "He  knew  how  to  live 
gracefully,  fight  stoutly,  and  die  honorably."  With  austere 
face  and  uncharitable  mien,  the  Puritan  of  New  England  stands 
upon  the  canvas  of  history  a  sombre,  ungraceful  figure,  void  of 
the  delicate  colorings  of  gentleness  and  the  forms  of  politeness. 
He  was  simple,  rugged,  genuine  manhood.  His  doctrine  read: 
"Faith  in  God,  faith  in  man,  faith  in  works,"  a  creed  ample  for 
this  life  and  that  which  is  to  come.  Threatened  by  a  common 
enemy,  the  chivalrous  Cavalier  of  Virginia  stood  side  by  side 
with  the  stalwart  Puritan  of  New  England:  Washington,  Jeffer 
son,  Lee  and  Patrick  Henry;  Hancock,  Green,  Putnam  and 
Adams.  Such  were  the  characters  —  refined  by  the  Roman,  the 
French,  and  the  Norman;  tempered  by  the  Angle,  the  Saxon, 
and  the  Briton  —  that  established  our  Republic. 


The  Puritan  and  the  Caralicr  in  our  National  Life.         217 

Pointing  to  the  Revolutionary  soldier,  the  world  exclaimed, 
"An  American!"  No;  the  American  was  not  yet.  The  Puri 
tan  and  the  Cavalier  were  not  amalgamated  by  the  issue  of 
the  Revolution.  Adhering  to  hereditary  traits  and  inclinations, 
they  effected  distinctive  developments.  The  Cavalier  founded 
his  civilization  upon  caste.  Property  was  for  the  few,  educa 
tion  for  the  few,  labor  for  the  negro.  Slavery  dulled  the  con 
science,  impoverished  the  masses,  and  made  every  planter  a 
feudal  despot.  The  Puritan,  attracted  to  a  climate  congenial 
to  his  sterling  energies,  founded  his  civilization  upon  the  cottage 
home.  Look  at  the  sturdy  commonwealths  which  his  spirit  of 
progress  permeates:  see  the  foundries  and  factories;  churches, 
common  schools  and  colleges  —  monuments  of  material  devel 
opment  and  intellectual  freedom.  Virginia  branded  the  South 
with  the  mark  of  retrogression;  Massachusetts  stamped  the 
North  with  the  elements  of  progress.  Caste  sovereignty  and 
bonded  labor  produced  Hayne  and  Calhoun;  the  excessive 
animus  of  slavery  brought  forth  Quantrell's  band,  the  Younger 
Brothers,  and  John  Wilkes  Booth.  Free  labor  and  free  thought 
developed  Garrison,  Phillips,  and  —  will  you  deny  it?— John 
Brown,  who,  his  great  soul  bursting  with  sympathy  for  the 
bondman,  dared  a  nation,  and  fell  —  traitor  or  patriot  —  a  mar 
tyr  to  his  convictions. 

The  Puritan  and  the  Cavalier  were  politically  partisan,  op 
posed  the  one  to  the  other.  It  is  well;  opposition  and  antag 
onism  underlie  progress;  we  recognize  greatness  by  comparison. 
Superiority  is  worthy  of  pride  in  the  degree  that  rivals  are  mutu 
ally  worthy  of  respect.  The  party  which  achieves  the  greatest 
good  is  paramount,  not  necessarily  that  which  dominates.  The 
tendencies  of  the  North  and  the  South  produced  different 
interpretations  of  the  Constitution.  Individuality  developed; 
interests  widened;  thought  diverged;  opinion  ripened  into 
argument,  which  culminated  in  the  matchless  debate  of  1830 
With  elegance  of  rhetoric  and  ardor  worthy  of  a  more  right 
eous  cause,  Robert  Hayne  sets  forth  the  precepts  of  Southern 
chivalry,  State  rights  and  caste  sovereignty  — the  mutterings 
of  the  great  rebellion.  The  reply  comes  like  a  thunderbolt. 
Daniel  Webster,  with  loftier  genius,  more  convincing  logic, 
and  a  holier  cause,  addresses  the  Senate  while  a  nation  listens. 
The  occasion  grows  upon  him.  His  great  arm  rises  and  falls 


218  Winning  Orations. 

with  a  deep  cadence  of  his  voice.  His  ponderous  sentences 
glow  with  the  idea  of  federal  unity.  He  strips  from  iniquity 
the  splendid  garb  of  chivalry  and  shatters  the  fallacies  of  State 
rights.  Then  clank  the  shackles  of  four  million  slaves;  then 
freedom's  shout  rings  round  the  world;  then  the  deep,  solemn 
vow  of  the  great  North  goes  up  to  heaven,  "This  Union  shall 
be  preserved." 

Partisanship  had  now  become  sectionalism.  Under  the 
former  a  republic  is  capable  of  the  highest  development; 
under  the  latter  there  remains  but  a  step  to  disunion.  In  the 
light  of  history  the  question  is  not,  "Why  should  there  have 
been  war?"  but  "How  was  war  so  long  averted?"  The  North 
and  the  South,  fortified  alike  by  logic  and  eloquence,  would 
make  no  concessions,  accept  no  compromise.  The  only  arbiter 
was  war.  War  confirmed  the  principles  of  the  Puritan,  revolu 
tionized  the  civilization  of  the  Cavalier,  and  vindicated,  once 
for  all,  our  free  institutions.  It  did  more:  it  broke  down  parti 
tion  walls;  facilitated  communication  between  the  North  and 
the  South;  unified  commercial  interests.  It  smoothed  the  way 
for  Northern  industry  and  individuality  to  permeate  the  South, 
and  for  the  genial  temperament  and  warm-hearted  hospitality 
of  the  South  to  enter  Northern  society.  It  softened  preju 
dices;  it  quickened  the  pulse  of  civilization;  it  enlightened. 
It  was  good.  The  Civil  War  was  the  consecration  of  our  Re 
public;  for  it  cut  the  nerves  of  sectionalism  and  bound  the 
North  and  the  South  together  with  the  cords  of  peace.  It 
made  possible  the  ultimate  fusion  of  Puritan  and  Cavalier 
tendencies  into  the  full-rounded  American  character.  The 
American  has  not  yet  come  to  the  citizen  masses,  but  the  type 
has  appeared.  It  is  found  in  him  —  a  Cavalier  by  birth,  a 
Puritan  by  education  —  whose  ungainly  form  environed  a 
character  which  combined  the  sturdy  dignity  of  the  North 
with  the  buoyant  gallantry  of  the  South.  Yes,  "from  the 
union  of  the  Puritan  and  the  Cavalier,  slow  perfecting  through 
a  century,  from  the  straightening  of  their  purposes  and  the 
crossing  of  their  blood,  came  one  who  stands  as  the  first  typi 
cal  American,  who  first  comprehended  within  himself  all  the 
strength  and  gentleness,  all  the  majesty  and  grace,  'of  this 
Republic  —  Abraham  Lincoln.  He  was  greater  than  Puritan, 
greater  than  Cavalier;  for  in  his  ardent  nature  were  fused  the 


The  Puritan  and  tJie  Cavalier  in  our  National  Life.         219 

virtues  of  both,  and  in  the  depths  of  his  great  soul  the  faults  of 
both  were  lost."  In  this  type,  the  ideal,  we  may  conceive  the 
real. 

The  influence  which  the  Puritan-Cavalier  principles  have 
had  in  the  world's  progress  is  of  vital  significance  in  the  esti 
mation  of  our  national  life.  To  a  world  ruled  by  caste  and 
sect  the  declaration  that  all  men  are  created  equal  was  a  glit 
tering  absurdity.  The  discovery  of  the  paradox  therein  con 
tained  has  revolutionized  the  world  and  shaped  the  progress 
of  the  nineteenth  century.  The  spirit  of  Western  liberty 
breathes  upon  France  and  the  French  Revolution  prepares 
the  way  for  the  republic.  The  cry  of  "Liberty  and  Equality" 
nerves  the  sinewy  frame  of  the  slave  of  San  Domingo;  he 
springs  into  the  full  stature  of  a  man,  asserts  his  sovereign 
rights  and  forges  the  Haytian  republics.  Democracies  rise  in 
Mexico,  in  South  America,  in  Africa,  in  the  islands  of  the  sea. 
Greece  throws  off  the  yoke  of  Ottoman  despotism.  The  won 
der  of  to-day  is  Brazil,  transformed  in  a  night.  Portugal 
wavers.  The  masses  of  Europe,  with  "muscles  and  sinews 
hardening  and  knotting  for  the  struggle, 

"Wait  for  the  dawning  of  a  brighter  day, 
To  snap  the  chain  the  moment  when  you  may." 

The  world  voices  the  once  asserted,  now  demonstrated  truth, 
all  men  are  created  equal. 

The  formative  element  is  superior  to  the  revolutionary  in 
civilization.  Frenzy  and  fanaticism  may  rebel  and  overthrow, 
as  Robespierre  in  the  French  Revolution;  but  sagacity  and 
statesmanship  form  and  reform,  as  the  Puritan  and  the  Cavalier 
in  the  creation  and  development  of  the  United  States.  Our 
principles  are  so  deeply  rooted  in  the  perpetual  that  two  cen 
turies  of  unrestricted  immigration  have  not  perceptibly  changed 
them.  The  European  toiler,  dwarfed  in  faculties  and  soul, 
gropes  in  the  new-found  freedom,  and  often  confounds  liberty 
with  license;  but  he  is  plastic.  Restrained  by  law,  enlightened 
by  precept,  he  readily  yields  to  formative  influences  and  enters 
into  the  spirit  of  our  national  life.  Why  should  he  not?  Docs 
our  national  emblem  speak  a  meaningless  language?  Associate 
the  brilliant  red  with  the  chivalrous  Cavalier,  the  unassuming 
blue  with  the  stanch  integrity  of  the  Puritan,  the  purity  of 
white  with  the  freedom  of  enlightened  conscience,  and  you 


220  Winning  Orations. 

conceive  the  embodiment  of  the  noblest  qualities  of  all  nation 
alities;  not  merely  the  flag  of  a  nation,  but  the  emblem  of 
liberty,  the  ensign  of  progress.  The  annual  assimilation  of  a 
vast  foreign  element  is  a  living  witness  that  the  energies  of  our 
ancestors  have  ever  been  the  vital  forces  of  our  progress. 
With  such  inherent  energies  stimulating  it,  public  sentiment  is 
not  content  merely  to  preserve,  but  seeks  reformation  and  per 
fection  in  continued  development.  Significant  is  the  national 
sorrow  at  the  untimely  death  of  Georgia's  eloquent  son.  The 
head-lines  read,  "Henry  W.  Grady  Dead,"  but  back  of  the  can 
did,  loyal-hearted  brother  the  North  sees  the  New  South. 
That  New  South,  pausing  over  the  grave  of  her  brilliant,  de 
voted  son,  is  conscious  of  her  resources,  her  possibilities,  her 
privileges  and  duties,  herself  an  important  factor  of  our  nation. 
The  New  South  is  wiser  than  the  old.  The  inspiration  of 
Northern  industry  courses  through  her  veins.  The  hum  of 
factories  and  the  whirl  of  machinery  rise  like  a  New  England 
hymn.  "There  was  a  South  of  slavery  and  secession;  that 
South  is  dead.  There  is  a  South  of  union  and  freedom;  that 
South  is  living,  breathing,  growing  every  hour." 

What  of  Puritan  and  Cavalier?  Do  we  incorporate  their 
virtues?  Do  we  preserve  and  transmit  their  embodied  truths? 
A  living  principle,  a  deep  conviction  of  life,  enables  the  present 
to  gather  and  keep  the  richness  of  the  past.  The  Puritan, 
echoing  Plymouth  Rock,  upheld  the  divine  right  of  man,  as 
man.  The  Cavalier,  reflecting  Jamestown,  stood  for  the  con 
stitutional  right  of  caste.  Both  were  actuated  by  one  basal 
principle,  an  intense  conviction  of  what  each  apprehended  as 
truth.  Nor  are  the  energies  and  virtues  of  the  Puritan  and  the 
Cavalier  dead.  Dead!  They  are  but  straightened  and  strength 
ened  by  exertion  in  antagonism.  They  are  woven  and  knit 
into  the  fabric  of  our  commonwealth.  They  permeate  the 
secret  bonds  of  society;  throb  in  every  pulse  of  our  national 
life;  charge  it  with  the  tremendous  meaning  of  an  ideal  re 
public.  We  stand  upon  the  vantage- ground  of  incomparable 
achievements.  Courageously  facing  the  future,  we  move  for 
ward  in  the  path  of  reform,  conscious  that  our  national  life 
must  be  perfected  by  interior  development  and  progress. 


OUR  ENGLISH  LANGUAGE. 


By  A.  C.  DOUGLASS,  of  Monmouth  College. 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 

Alonzo  C.  Douglass  was  born  near  St.  Joseph,  Missouri. 
At  an  early  age  he  entered  the  district  school  in  the  neighbor 
hood  where  his  parents  resided.  When  he  was  ten  years  of 
age  his  parents  removed  to  Kansas,  and  settled  on  a  farm  in 
the  vicinity  of  Cedar,  now  Denison.  His  first  summer  in  Kan 
sas  was  spent  herding  three  hundred  head  of  cattle,  learning 
something  of  the  life  of  a  cow-boy;  although  too  young  to 
mount  a  horse,  and  often,  being  in  the  midst  of  a  large  prairie, 
where  there  was  neither  rock,  stump  or  fence,  he  would  mount 
this  difficulty  by  taking  advantage  of  his  horse  while  eating 
grass  and  jump  astride  its  head;  immediately  being  elevated  he 
would  slide  down  its  neck  to  the  saddle,  seat  himself,  and  be 
ready  for  duty.  When  sixteen  years  old  he  was  enrolled  as  a 
student  in  the  Campbell  Normal  University,  Holton,  Kansas, 
taking  a  commercial  and  teacher's  course.  In  September,  1885, 
he  entered  the  sub-freshman  class  of  Monmouth  College,  Mon 
mouth,  Illinois,  graduating  June  12,  1890,  and  receiving  the 
degree  of  bachelor  of  arts.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Philadel- 
phian  Society  of  Monmouth  College.  Two  years  he  was  a 
member  of  the  Philo-Eccritean  Lecture  Association.  His  chief 
distinction  in'  college  was  his  success  as  an  orator.  Winning 
the  local  contest,  March,  1889,  he  represented  Monmouth  Col 
lege  at  the  inter-collegiate  contest  of  Illinois  in  October  of  the 
same  year,  where  he  received  first  honors.  At  the  inter-State 
contest  of  1890  he  won  second  prize  on  the  subject,  "Our  Eng 
lish  Language."  Mr.  Douglass  intends  to  devote  his  talents 
and  his  life  to  the  ministry  of  the  gospel.  Having  been  re 
ceived  as  a  student  of  theology  by  the  Kansas  City  presby 
tery  of  the  United  Presbyterian  Church,  he  entered  the 
Seminary  at  Xenia,  Ohio,  in  September,  1890,  where  he  will 

take  a  three  years'  course. 

(221) 


222  Winning  Orations. 


THE   ORATION. 

Delivered  at  the  Inter-State  Oratorical  Contest,  at  Lincoln,  Nebraska. 
May,  1890,  taking  second  prize.  Judges:  Judge  A.  YAPLE,  NOBLE  L.  PRI-.N- 
TIS,  Rev.  D.  H.  SNOWDEN,  Prof.  F.  B.  RAFTER,  PAUL  H.  HAXXUS,  '!'.  M. 
MAKQUETT. 

From  a  rugged  rock-bound  hill-side  there  bubbles  a  silver 
stream.  Winding  out  through  a  landscape  of  beauty,  its  rip 
pling  waters  flash  diamonds  from  their  sunlit  surface.  The 
murmuring  music  of  the  wavelets  makes  sweet  harmony  with 
warbling  birds.  Many  a  tributary  separates  the  banks.  But 
the  stream  rushes  on,  leaping  over  rocks,  plowing  through 
meadows,  wandering  into  deep  forests,  ever  increasing  in  gran 
deur,  until  a  mighty  river  it  marks  the  boundaries  of  empires, 
bears  on  its  bosom  their  stately  fleets,  and  rolls  on  in  majesty 
to  the  great  ocean. 

Such  is  our  English  language.  Starting  from  its  obscure 
source,  this  stream  has  flowed  down  through  fifteen  hundred 
years  of  history.  It  has  been  beautified  by  the  teachings  of 
Nature,  broadened  by  the  ceaseless  flow  of  linguistic  tributaries, 
and  deepened  by  the  profoundest  thoughts  of  the  human  intel 
lect,  until  it  appears  to-day  an  accumulation  of  the  learning  of 
ages — the  glory  of  the  Anglo-Saxon  race,  the  inspiration  of 
the  civilized  world. 

Fifteen  centuries  ago,  when  an  avalanche  of  savage  hordes 
from  the  North  was  sweeping  over  Europe;  when  the  tottering 
walls  of  the  Western  Empire  were  falling  and  the  glory  of  the 
Caesars  was  departing;  when  that  total  eclipse  of  ancient  civil 
ization  was  coming  on,  leaving  vice  and  violence  to  rule  the 
dark  night;  when  philosophy  was  dead,  art  forsaken,  and  liter 
ature  forgotten,  our  ancestors  —  fit  types  of  the  age  —  left  their 
homes  amid  the  gloomy  wastes  and  the  low-lying  marshes  of 
Holland,  launched  their  pirate  boats  on  the  North  Sea,  and 
steered  for  the  white  cliffs  of  Albion.  Their  manners  were 
rude,  their  character  savage,  and  their  religion  false.  Their 
speech  was  a  mongrel  dialect,  yet  it  contained  the  germs  of  a 
language  marvelous  in  power,  infinite  in  influence,  divine  in 
mission.  The  history  of  this  language  is  the  history  of  the 
Anglo-Saxon  people.  Its  mechanism  contains  a  truer  picture 
of  race-vicissitudes  than  is  found  in  the  pen-paintings  of  Hume 
or  Macaulay.  The  vice  and  virtue  of  each  succeeding  age  is 


Our  English  Language.  223 

stamped  upon  it.  Words  that  mark  the  ebb  and  flow  of  the 
tide  of  humanity  tell  of  the  ages  of  superstition  and  ignorance. 
They  portray  the  degradation  of  man  and  the  awful  depths  of 
his  fall.  In  them,  also,  truth  is  seen  emerging  from  a  cloud  of 
blind  fanaticism.  Right  and  might  are  crowned  on  a  common 
throne,  while  despotism  and  oppression  crouch  at  the  feet  of 
liberty.  The  clanking  chains  fall  from  the  limbs  of  the  cap 
tive.  The  darkness  of  paganism  clears  away  for  the  light  of 
Christianity.  Barbarian  becomes  civilized.  The  hand  of  God 
is  seen  guiding  the  affairs  of  men;  and  banners  of  love,  light, 
and  liberty,  float  as  the  ensigns  of  united  peoples. 

But  history,  written  in  chronicles  or  preserved  in  the  struct 
ure  of  a  language,  is  often  a  record  of  that  which  man  would 
fain  forget.  Evil  excludes  the  good;  blood  stains  every  page; 
inhumanity  marks  every  epoch.  The  English  language,  though 
fraught  with  lessons  from  human  history,  has  yet  greater  fields 
for  research,  a  grander  mission  of  intelligence.  Advancing 
civilization  has  made  it  heir  to  the  most  illustrious  languages 
of  mankind.  The  Greek,  with  its  symmetry,  purity,  and  gran 
deur;  the  Latin,  combining  vigor,  grace,  and  dignity  —  both 
representing  the  highest  types  of  ancient  culture  and  refine 
ment —  have  given  their  place  to  the  English,  the  modern 
representative  of  Christian  civilization.  Grecian  beauty  and 
Roman  strength  have  united  to  make  ours  the  language  of  the 
sublimest  age  of  history. 

Alas,  that  Greece  should  have  perished!  That  such  archi 
tecture  as  the  Parthenon,  crowning  the  Acropolis  of  Athens, 
should  crumble  to  dust,  or  that  the  statuary,  carved  on  pillar 
and  pediment,  should  be  the  shattered  relics  of  such  imperial 
splendor!  Oh,  Empire  of  Rome — heir  of  Grecian  culture  - 
magnificent  in  the  luxury  of  beautiful  gardens  and  peaceful 
villas,  that  thou,  too,  shouldst  be  as  a  dream  of  the  fancy! 
The  mist  of  centuries  envelopes  these  majestic  ruins;  their 
time-tarnished  domes  fall  into  decay;  but  the  glory  of  the  age 
\Vhich  they  represent  is  preserved  in  their  languages.  Time 
may  wear  away  the  Parthenon  and  the  Coliseum,  but  the  beauty 
and  power  of  the  Greek  and  Roman  tongues  will  remain  un 
changed. 

These  were  the  prevalent  languages  when  Christianity  was 
introduced,  and  thus  they  became  the  "vehicles  of  the  truths 


224  Winning  Orations. 

of  revelation."  But  the  spirit  of  the  age  was  skeptical,  cruel. 
Noble  languages  could  not  save  pagan  institutions.  The  fourth 
and  fifth  centuries,  with  their  social  and  political  upheavals, 
saw  a  second  Babel.  Each  petty  kingdom  of  mutilated  Europe 
formed  its  dialect.  The  Bible,  proclaiming  peace  and  good 
will  to  men,  was  lost  amid  the  ruin  of  crumbling  empires. 
The  needy  multitudes  knew  not  its  teachings,  felt  not  its  influ 
ence.  Then  Gregory,  touched  with  sympathy  for  the  blue- 
eyed  Angles  on  the  streets  of  Rome,  thought  to  teach  them  o! 
the  humble  Nazarcne,  and  struck  the  key-note  to  the  paean  ot" 
modern  civilization.  To  a  promising  race  he  gave  Christianity. 
This  faith  has  been  the  guiding  influence  through  the  mightiest 
conflicts  of  centuries.  It  was  the  power  that  broke  from  the 
Anglo-Saxon  the  shackles  of  ignorance  and  superstition,  and 
that  wrought  this  crude  speech  into  a  noble  language  and 
literature. 

From  this  time  forward  the  power  and  influence  of  our  lan 
guage  increased  slowly  but  grandly.  Seven  centuries  passed 
in  preparation  for  a  literature.  The  Norman  conquest  came 
and  with  it  a  higher  type  of  refinement  For  a  time  the 
Englishman  seemed  forgotten.  The  court,  learning,  and  art, 
spurned  his  speech.  His  rich  legendary  lore  promised  to  be 
unsung,  his  conquests  and  valor,  untold.  Feudal  lords  bound 
him  to  the  earth.  The  fountain  of  fame  was  to  him  as  the 
water  of  Tantalus.  But  it  was  not  to  be  always  thus.  The 
feudal  system  of  the  Norman  was  a  greater  evil  than  his  culture 
was  a  blessing.  The  Englishman  hated  civilization  which  did 
not  civilize.  A  new  era  was  dawning.  Feudalism  and  chivalry 
—  noblest  institutions  of  a  blinded  age  —  could  not  suppress  the 
growing  influence  of  that  divinely-taught  principle,  the  uni 
versal  brotherhood  of  man.  Through  common  interests  a 
common  speech  was  adopted,  and  the  problem  of  equality  was 
solved.  The  heart  of  the  serf  thrilled  as  he  heard  his  language 
ringing  through  palace  halls,  enriched  by  the  cultured  senti 
ment  of  a  courtly  nobility.  Thus  the  river,  silently  flowing 
beneath  the  rough  surface  of  society,  broke  forth  in  singular 
sublimity.  English  literature  found  a  beginning.  Chaucer  be 
came  the  father  of  English  poetry,  Wyclif  translated  the  Bible, 
and  our  language  began  its  mission  to  the  world. 


Our  English  Language.  225 

Anglo-Saxon  civilization  is  unparalleled  in  its  material 
growth,  its  broad  learning,  and  its  social,  moral  and  political 
development.  Men  come  and  go,  and  the  immortal  products 
of  their  genius  are  their  bequests  to  the  world.  The  accumu 
lations  of  art  and  science  make  the  contributing  ages  appear 
like  the  range  of  mountain-peaks  —  each  towering  high  above 
its  predecessor  in  Alpine  magnificence.  We  behold  and  won 
der  what  influences  could  have  produced  such  grand  results. 
Did  inventive  genius  alone  make  the  greatness  of  America? 
Has  mere  strength  of  arms  carried  England's  flag  into  even- 
habitable  part  of  earth?  Does  Saxon  valor,  Saxon  ambition, 
and  Saxon  firmness,  account  entirely  for  the  civil  and  religious 
liberty  of  one-half  the  globe?  No.  Transcending  all  these 
powerful  agencies,  the  English  language  stands  out  the  expo 
nent  of  modern  civilization.  It  is  the  embodiment  of  progres 
sive  thought,  the  matchless  attainment  of  a  progressive  age. 
In  its  store-house  of  words  are  the  gems  of  the  classics  and  the 
pearls  of  modern  tongues.  It  is  the  key-stone  in  the  arch  of 
commerce  to-day.  In  every  battle  against  tyranny  it  has  fur 
nished  the  countersigns  of  freedom.  Magna  Chartas,  Declar 
ations  of  Independence,  and  Emancipation  Proclamations,  are 
its  products.  It  is  the  "language  of  Bunyan  and  the  Bible'' 
—  an  argument  for  the  Christian  religion.  Would  you  know  its 
influence  to-day  —  destroy  its  literature,  blot  out  the  results  of 
its  existence,  and  think  what  would  be  the  condition  of  the 
world.  Where  would  be  our  glorious  institutions,  our  resplen 
dent  civilization,  our  blood-bought  liberties? 

Our  literature  seems  boundless  like  a  summer  landscape; 
we  approach  the  apparent  limit,  while  Nature  keeps  unrolling 
her  scroll  of  beauty.  English  libraries  testify  to  an  elegance 
of  expression,  a  vividness  of  description,  a  terseness  in  narra 
tion,  not  to  be  found  elsewhere.  Note  the  stately  prose  of 
Macaulay,  the  picturesque  delineations  of  Scott,  the  rugged 
energy  of  Carlyle;  but  these  are  only  of  thousands  who  have 
made  our  language  shine  with  sunlit  brilliancy.  English  liter 
ature  bears  the  impress  of  every  advance  of  education  and 
morals.  Science  has  given  it  a  vocabulary  abreast  with  her 
phenomenal  development.  Christian  philosophy  has  placed 
therein  truths  never  dreamed  of  by  a  Plato  or  an  Aristotle. 
Here,  no  less  than  in  society,  the  progress  of  morals  has  wit- 


226  Winning  Orations. 

nesscd  evolution.  The  sensual  odes  and  Bacchanalian  songs, 
rehearsed  at  the  midnight  revels  and  chanted  around  the  altars 
of  the  gods,  departed  with  the  civilization  that  gave  them  birth. 
The  pure  character,  the  virtuous  teaching,  the  ennobling  senti 
ment  are  now  the  demands  of  literary  merit  and  culture. 

Grand  principles  and  momentous  questions  have  aroused 
the  sleeping  art  of  the  ancients,  and  oratory  has  burst  forth  in 
this  new  language.  Here  it  has  found  its  true  mission  and 
achieved  its  greatest  victories.  The  halls  of  parliament  and  of 
congress  have  been  fit  substitutes  for  the  bema  and  the  forum. 
The  burning  eloquence  of  Burke  and  Chatham,  Henry  and 
Webster,  pleading  for  freedom,  justice,  and  equality,  was  never 
surpassed  by  the  "Orator  of  Athens"  inveighing  against  Philip, 
or  the  Romam  senator  thundering  against  Catiline. 

Is  the  poetry  of  our  language  excelled  by  any  other?  Did 
ancient  bard  ever  picture  human  nature  like  Shakespeare?  Is 
the  "Fall  of  Troy"  to  be  compared  with  the  "Fall  of  Man?" 
Were  Achilles  and  /Eneas  sublimer  heroes  than  the  fallen  Arch 
angel?  Ah!  gifted  poets  have  sung  and  proved  that  — 

"  From  Saxon  lips  Anacreon's  numbers  glide, 
As  once  they  melted  on  the  Teian  tide; 
And  fresh  transfused,  the  Iliad  thrills  again 
From  Albion's  cliffs  as  o'er  Achaia's  plain!  " 

As  Napoleon  marshaled  his  armed  hosts  before  the  pyra 
mids  of  Fgypt,  he  said,  "Soldiers,  forty  centuries  look  down 
upon  you."  We,  to-day,  from  a  height  of  truth  and  liberty, 
say:  Forty  centuries  look  up  to  us.  The  crisis  of  nations  finds 
our  race  leading  a  mightier  and  a  more  glorious  civilization 
than  forty  centuries  have  seen.  Yet  after  all  this  advancement, 
this  attainment  of  power,  our  language  seems  only  to  have  be 
gun  its  mission.  The  rivulet  that  gushed  from  its  fountain  has 
swelled  into  a  great  river,  and  all  its  usefulness  seems  yet  be 
fore  it.  Greater  fields  of  thought  are  to  be  fertilized;  ships  of 
State  are  to  float  serenely,  sublimely,  on  its  majestic  current; 
it  is  to  broaden  into  a  mighty  ocean  and  wash  every  shore  of 
humanity. 

To-day  the  civilized  world  looks  to  the  Anglo-Saxon,  with 
his  linguistic  inheritance,  for  the  solution  of  every  question  of 
moral  reform;  Christendom  recognizes  him  as  her  defender; 
heathedom  sends  forth  wails  of  distress  for  his  sympathy. 


Our  English  Language.  227 

This  eminence  is  his  because  of  his  eloquence  and  song  in  the 
triumphant  march  of  human  freedom.  Thus,  as  "through  the 
ages  one  increasing  purpose  run,"  we  may  see  in  a  veiled  but 
certain  future  the  destiny  of  our  race,  dedicated  to  truth  and  to 
God;  and  \ve  may  hear  reverberating  through  the  centuries 
the  glad  anthem  of  that  "varied  music  from  an  hundred 
tongues,"  our  English  language. 


ORATORS  AND  ORATORY, 


PLAGIARISM. 


ORATORS  AND  ORATORY. 


Bv  PROF.  GKOKCK  W.  Hoss,  A.  M.,  LL.  D. 


Nothing  brings  heart  within  touching  distance  of  heart  like 
the  tongue.  Hence,  speaking  seems  nature's  ordained  means 
of  informing  and  moving  men.  While  this  is  true  generally, 
in  no  country  is  it  more  specifically  true  than  in  ours.  This 
fact  grows  out  of  the  nature  of  our  institutions.  Here  all  men 
are  free  —  free  to  think,  believe,  and  utter  what  they  will.  The 
humblest  farmer  or  craftsman  has  the  same  right  to  utter  his 
thoughts  that  a  governor  or  president  has.  This  is  not  so  in 
monarchies  or  despotisms.  Moreover,  public  opinion,  espe 
cially  in  political  matters,  is  largely  formed  by  means  of  public 
speaking.  Our  laws  are  largely  made  and  applied  by  this  same 
means,  hence  he  who  cannot  speak,  often  cannot  rise  in 
these  departments.  Hence  in  a  government  by  the  people  the 
tongue  is  a  power. 

Second,  in  the  preaching  of  the  gospel  this  is  more  mark 
edly  true.  This  rises  in  importance  and  sacredness  above  law- 
making.  When  Christ  said,  "Go  preach,"  He  hallowed  public 
speaking  above  any  act  or  utterance  ever  made  by  man.  He 
ordained  it  as  a  means  for  the  accomplishment  of  the  greatest 
work  known  to  humanity,  namely,  the  salvation  of  the  race. 
He  enforced  this  command  by  his  own  example;  he  wrote  no 
words,  but  spake,  and  never  as  man  spake.  Here  is  a  marvel, 
a  kingdom  to  be  established,  and  not  a  statute  or  a  line  written 
by  the  law-giver.  This  command  and  this  example  still  stand 
as  law  and  guide,  as  they  did  eighteen  hundred  years  ago. 
Viewed,  therefore,  from  either  the  sacred  or  secular  side  of 
the  facts,  the  plea  for  public  speaking  becomes  strong. 

Viewed  intellectually  the  orator  stands  midway  between  the 
poet  and  the  philosopher;  oratory,  between  poetry  and  philos 
ophy.  'T  is  a  legitimate  child  of  this  holy  wedlock,  an  heir 
apparent  to  the  throne  in  this  royal  household.  One  side  of 

(231) 


232  Orators  and  Oratory. 

oratory  addresses  the  understanding,  and  seeks  to  convince  — 
this  is  philosophy;  the  other  side  addresses  the  imagination 
and  sensibilities,  and  seeks  to  please,  to  move  —  this  is  poetry, 
at  least  poetic.  Therefore  high  oratory,  eloquence,  is  a  com 
posite  of  philosophy  and  poetry,  addressing  the  understand 
ing,  the  imagination,  and  the  sensibilities,  and  binding  these 
three  in  one,  sweeps  on  to  the  will,  and  compassing  the  whole 
man  in  its  purpose,  bears  him  on,  right  on  to  the  highest  sphere 
of  life,  namely,  action;  noble,  heroic,  and  at  times  sublime, 
awe-inspiring  action. 

Oratory  is  therefore  a  happy  blending  of  the  didactic,  argu 
mentative,  passional,  and  the  ornate;  a  kind  of  philosophic 
poetry,  a  poetic  philosophy,  and  these  often  on  fire. 

From  the  above,  as  a  basis,  we  may  divide  oratory  into  four 
general  classes,  which  for  the  sake  of  method  we  will  call  the 

DIVISIONS  OF  ORATORY. 

Of  these  we  notice: 

I.   THE  ORATORY  OF  REASON. 

The  matter  of  this  is  fact,  truth,  principle;  its  form  argu 
ment.  It  is  clear,  cold,  logical,  condensed.  Its  principal  aim 
is  information,  conviction;  hence  in  the  main  it  avoids  both 
imagination  and  feeling,  especially  in  the  body  of  the  discourse. 

This  style  is  found  in  the  lawyer's  argument  addressed  to 
the  judge;  in  the  judge's  charge  to  the  jury;  in  pleading  before 
cabinets;  in  State  papers  and  the  like.  The  Declaration  of 
Independence  is  a  good  specimen:  "We  hold  these  truths  to 
be  self-evident:  that  all  men  are  created  equal;  that  they  are 
endowed  by  their  Creator  with  certain  inalienable  rights;  that 
among  these  are  life,  liberty,  and  the  pursuit  of  happiness. 
To  secure  these  rights  governments  are  instituted  among  men, 
deriving  their  just  powers  from  the  consent  of  the  governed." 
The  Bible  furnishes  fine  specimens:  "In  the  beginning  was  the 
Word,  and  the  Word  was,  with  God,  and  the  Word  was  God. 
The  same  was  in  the  beginning  with  God.  All  things  were 
made  by  him,  and  without  him  was  not  anything  made  that 
was  made.  In  him  was  life,  and  the  life  was  the  light  of  men." 
John,  I. 

This  style  finds  its  highest  expression  in  mathematics,  in 
geometry.  This  last  is  pure  reason;  no  feeling,  hence  no  gest 
ure,  no  declamation,  no  attitudes. 


Orators  and  Oratory.  233 

Of  this  class  of  oratory  Webster  and  Morton,  of  this 
country,  and  Lord  Lyndhurst,  of  England,  are  good  repre 
sentatives.  Their  matter  was  chiefly  argument,  hence  their 
manner  unimpassioned.  Lyndhurst,  says  Webster,  would  at 
times  make  an  entire  address  without  raising  his  hand  in  gest 
ure.  Morton  gestured  but  little,  Webster  more,  but  much  less 
than  Clay. 

This  style  of  oratory  relies  but  little  on  delivery,  but  almost 
wholly  on  matter,  hence  not  so  popular;  often  called  dry, 
especially  by  the  young  and  the  unlearned. 

II.  ORATORY  OF  THE  IMAGINATION. 

This  is  ornate,  artistic.  It  is  elegant  in  language  and  rich 
in  imagery.  This  is  the  field  of  the  esthetic.  Thought  is 
robed  in  a  garb  of  beauty  that  pleases,  charms,  captivates. 
Figures  of  rhetoric,  classic  allusions,  harmonious  sentences, 
rich  and  varied  imagery,  unfold  before  you  like  the  ever-chang 
ing  scenes  in  a  panorama,  Imagination  rules  the  hour  per 
suading  you  that  the  ideal  is  real,  that  the  real  is  ideal,  "giving 
to  airy  nothings  a  local  habitation  and  a  name."  If  possessed 
of  bolder  pinion,  it  asends  into  the  sublime  where  it  awres  while 
it  attracts.  The  orator  has  in  a  good  degree  become  the  poet, 
and,  like  the  poet,  gathering  his  singing  robes  about  him,  and 
ascending  the  mount  of  vision,  touches  his  harp  and  passes. in 
music  and  beauty  out  of  sight. 

Of  this  style  of  oratory  Everett  and  Burke  are  at  times  good 
representatives.  In  Everett  the  artistic  and  ornate  are  promi 
nent,  sometimes  in  excess.  In  Burke  the  reasoning  is  some 
times  obscured  by  ornament,  the  fruit  is  hid  by  excess  of  leaf 
and  flower.  This  class  of  oratory  is  sometimes  characterized 
as  oriental,  pleasing  rather  than  convincing,  showy  rather  than 
strong;  a  kind  of  Bird  of  Paradise  with  more  wing  and  feathers 
than  body.  We  gaze  upon  it  as  upon  a  picture,  and  listen  to 
it  as  to  an  opera  —  pleased,  delighted,  yet  seldom  moved.  The 
fruit  of  high  eloquence  is  wanting.  There  is  but  little  resolve 
and  less  action.  The  esthetic  reigns  here,  hence  nearer  kin  to 
fine  arts  than  any  other  style  of  oratory. 

III.  ORATORY  OF  FEELING,  PASSION. 

Here  the  heart  rules.  Here  words  come  warm  with  feeling, 
often  aglow  with  passion.  They  breathe,  they  burn.  Men 
speak  as  if  a  divinity  stirred  within,  not  by  form  or  rule,  but  as 


Orators  and  Oratory. 

of  old,  when  moved  by  the  Holy  Ghost.  This  form  of  oratory 
has  its  birth  in  great  occasions,  when  mobs  are  to  be  quelled, 
revolutions  to  be  guided,  or  country  to  be  saved;  when  "men's 
lives  and  fortunes  hang  on  the  decision  of  the  hour;"  as  when 
Jonah  cried  in  hot  haste,  "Yet  forty  days  and  Ninevah  shall 
be  destroyed;"  or  when  Peter  ejaculated  his  prayer,  "Lord, 
save,  or  I  perish."  In  this  last  the  whole  man  was  in  his  speech; 
his  soul  flew  on  winged  words  to  the  ear  of  the  Master. 

A  remarkable  instance  is  found  in  modern  times  in  the  case 
of  Patrick  Henry,  the  mouth-piece  of  the  revolution,  when  he 
shouted,  "Give  me  liberty,  or  give  me  death!"  and  a  nation 
springing  to  its  feet,  shouted  to  the  tyrant  across  the  sea, 
"Liberty  or  death!"  This  is  eloquence  —  great  thoughts,  strong 
feeling,  and  impressive  delivery.  Coupled  with  great  virtues 
it  inspires,  awes,  conquers.  It  crowns  the  orator  king,  while 
the  multitude  bows  in  ready  submission  to  his  will,  or  rises  in 
its  might  to  do  his  bidding. 

Feeling,  passion,  is  the  conquering  agent.  The  law  of  its 
power  is,  passion  is  catching;  the  tear  begets  a  tear;  joy,  joy; 
fear,  fear;  courage,  courage;  heroism,  heroism,  as  certainly  as 
fire  kindles  fire.  Hence  the  law:  The  speaker  ^i<1lo  ivishes  his 
audience  to  feel ',  miist  feel  first.  This  is  the  law  of  eloquence, 
universal,  unvarying.  So  the  world  has  judged  in  all  ages,  and 
so  judges  to-day.  Hence  all  who  have  been  great  in  eloquence 
have  been  great  in  passional  power;  as  Demosthenes,  Chatham, 
Fox,  Mirabeau,  Henry,  Otis,  Clay,  Whitefield,  Simpson,  and 
hosts  of  others.  So  the  great  preachers  of  other  days  in  this 
and  other  countries.  They  burned  as  well  as  argued  their  way 
into  men's  souls. 

This  true,  it  is  inevitable  that  the  man  who  can't  feel  deeply 
and  express  himself  strongly,  may  justly  despair  of  high  elo 
quence.  These  feelings  must  be  broad,  lasting,  and  strong, 
burning  like  fire  in  the  bones,  like  lava  beds  in  heart,  blood 
and  brain.  These  are  a  power;  they  crown  their  possessor 
victor. 

IV.    ORATORY  OF  DELIVERY. 

This  is  the  field  of  elocution,  and  is  what  the  ancients  called 
action.  When  Demosthenes  was  asked  what  was  the  first  prin 
ciple  of  eloquence,  he  answered,  "action;  "  the  second,  "action;  " 
the  third,  "action."  Cicero  said,  "all  the  parts  of  oratory  sue- 


Orators  and  Oratory.  235 

ceed  as  they  are  delivered."  "Delivery,"  says  he  further,  "has 
the  supreme  power  in  oratory.  Without  it  a  speaker  of  the 
greatest  mental,  power  cannot  be  held  in  any  esteem,  while 
with  it  one  of  moderate  ability  may  surpass  those  of  greatest 
talents."  Quintilian  held  much  the  same  view,  saying  't  is  not 
of  so  much  importance  what  are  ones  thoughts,  as  it  is  in  what 
manner  they  are  delivered.  These  statements  are  strong,  too 
strong  for  our  age,  but  we  can  abate  a  large  per  cent,  and  still 
have  a  strong  plea  for  delivery.  A  more  intellectual  age  puts 
a  lower  price  on  delivery. 

Speakers  strong  in  feeling  are  usually  impressive  in  delivery, 
so  we  find  the  same  representatives  as  in  the  last  division. 
One  of  the  ablest  ever  known  in  this  department  was  the  great 
field  preacher,  George  Whitefield.  His  powers  were  simply 
marvelous.  His  voice,  says  his  biographer,  could  be  heard 
distinctly  by  thirty  thousand  people.  It  is  said  he  could  pro 
nounce  a  single  word  with  such  pathos  as  to  throw  an  audience 
into  tears.  Garrick  said  he  would  give  a  hundred  guineas  if 
he  could  pronounce  the  single  letter  O  as  Whitefield  could. 
His  preaching  moved  the  practical  Franklin,  and  so  impressed 
the  cold  and  skeptical  Hume  as  to  say,  "I  would  go  twenty 
miles  any  day  to  hear  him."  His  power  was  largely  in  delivery, 
his  printed  sermons  showing  neither  great  power  of  thought 
nor  wide  range  of  scholarship.  Such  men  should  not  have  their 
speeches  printed  unless  the  speaker  can  be  printed  with  them. 
Their  speeches  should  be  heard,  not  read. 

EXAMPLES:  Henry  Clay  won  largely  through  delivery.  His 
clarion  voice,  flashing  eye,  and  dilating  figure  moved  senates 
almost  at  will.  It  is  said  a  single  exclamation  from  him  would 
bring  an  audience  to  almost  breathless  silence.  In  delivery, 
Lord  Brougham  was  king.  In  sarcasm  and  invective,  attack 
and  defense,  he  was  terrific.  He  was  the  gladiator  of  Parlia 
ment.  Fierce,  vengeful,  irresistible,  you  more  than  saw  his 
glare  and  heard  his  roar — you  felt  them.  He  seemed  a  mixture 
of  man  and  lion  —  the  lion  often  in  front.  This  is  the  victory 
of  physical  courage  and  physical  force.  These  have  won  \\ith 
many;  as  Fox,  Chatham,  Mirabeau,  Luther,  and  others.  These 
were  the  men  to  contend  with  popes  and  kings,  men  who,  as 
Luther  says  of  himself,  were  born  to  "fight  whirlwinds  and 
devils."  Such  men  are  for  great  crises,  times  that  try  men's 


236  Orators  and  Oratory. 

souls,  when  blood  touches  blood,  and  victory  is  born  of  death. 
The  oratory  of  such  men  like  themselves  is  powerful  in  passion 
and  action,  hence  powerful  in  delivery. 

From  the  above  survey  it  is  obvious  that  the  problem  of 
oratory  becomes  in  a  good  degree  the  problem  of  metaphysics. 
He  who  would  control  mind  must  know  mind.  He  must  know 
how  to  address  the  understanding  to  the  exclusion  of  the  im 
agination  and  feelings,  and  vice  versa.  He  must  know  how  to 
build  a  solid  masonry  of  argument,  strong  as  a  military  fortress, 
and  if  need  be,  as  rough  and  cold;  and  when  built,  he  must 
know  whether  to  leave  it  thus,  or  to  soften  its  rugged  outline 
by  flinging  over  it  a  drapery  of  sunshine  and  flowers.  He  must 
know  whether  reason  rules  alone,  or  whether  reason  blended 
with  the  imagination,  or  feeling,  or  both. 

At  other  times  he  may  wish  the  imagination  to  rule,  weav 
ing  a  web  as  light  as  gossamer  or  gorgeous  as  the  Orient.  At 
another  time  it  is  passion,  when  the  soul  becomes  a  furnace, 
and  speech  a  mixture  of  whirlwind  and  fire.  In  a  word,  he 
must  know,  and  that  clearly,  whether  his  aim  is  to  please,  to 
instruct,  to  convince,  to  move,  or  to  storm.  His  aim  known,  he  will 
know  his  instruments,  whether  logic,  rhetoric,  delivery,  singly 
or  combined.  Here  as  everywhere  aim  or  end  must  determine 
means. 


PLAGIARISM. 


By  PROF.  STEPHEN  G.  BARNES,  Ph.  D. 


The  editor  of  this  volume  of  oratory  has  honored  me  by  a 
request  to  contribute,  on  the  subject  of  plagiarism,  a  chapter 
that  shall  be  "general  and  brief."  The  gentle  reader  is  there 
fore  and  hereby  warned  that  no  ponderous  polemics,  no  sensa 
tional  details,  are  to  be  expected;  only  a  "swallow  flight,  that 
dips  its  wings  and  skims  away." 

The  plagiarist  is  a  literary  pickpocket;  he  lives  in  the  region 
of  dishonesties  that  are  small  and  mean.  But  he  is  also  an 
ostentatious  fop,  and  is  therefore  compelled  to  be  audacious 
with  his  stolen  "shreds  and  patches."  No  offender  against 
moral  law  is  more  sure  to  be  found  out,  and  to  be  counted  a 
kjxave  for  his  thievery^  and  a  fool  for  his  display.  This  no  one 
will  deny.  So  long  as  we  stick  to  generalities,  and  confine 
ourselves  to  the  abstract  plagiarist,  there  is  no  special  difficult}'. 
It  is  when  a  concrete  case  arises,  and  one  is  asked  "Did  X  pla- 
^-^giarize?"  that  the  rub  comes.  In  morals,  as  in  statecr.e 

application  of  the  law  is  what  taxes  the  vision  and  strength 
of  humanity. 

Let  us  look  for  a  little  at  meum  and  tnum,  at  the  problem  of 
production  and  reproduction.  It  seems  clear,  to  begin  with, 
that  without  receiving  there  can  be  no  giving;  there  will  be 
nothing  to  give.  The  man  in  "Joe  Miller"  who  never  reads 
books,  because  he  is  too  busy  writing  them,  is  droll,  because  he 
is  in  such  utter  incon_gruity  with  the  conditions  of  literary  pro 
duction.  When  the  Amazon  can  dispense  with  all  its  tribu 
taries,  then  may  an  author  ignore  all  other  authors.  And  not 
only  material  bufskill  comes i  from  contact  with  other  minds; 
iron  -sharpeneth  iron.  The  literary  apprentice  puts  himself  to 
school;  he  studies  the  methods  used  in  literature;  hfLfrnnslatp^r 
imitates,  selects,  varies,  adapts.  Having  something  to  say  is 
not_enough;  he  must  know  how  to  say  it.  If  he  wishes  to  be 

(237) 


238  Plagiarism. 

heard  as  a  German,  he  must  have  command  of  the  German 
language;  if  he  wishes  to  reach  men  through  the  channels  of 
literature,  he  must  learn  where  those  channels  run,  and  at  what 
places  in  the  great  blank  wall  that  faces  the  young  aspirant 
his  stream  will  be  admitted.'  And  most  important  of  all  is  the 
inspiration  that  comes  from  great  writers  and  orators,  men 
whose  powers  are  utterly  beyond  our  reach,  but  whose  splen 
did  thoughts  and  noble  achievements  arouse  in  us  energies 
undreamed  of  before,  and  raise  to  a  furnace  heat  all  the  fusible 
materials  of  the  soul.  Only  by  such  excitation  of  his  various 
capacities  can  man  find  what  is  in  him,  and  what  is  strongest 
in  him,  and  thus  discover  his  real  self.  No  man  has  been 
original,  in  any  high  and  supreme  sense,  who  has  not  first  been 
imitative. 

The  value  of  all  this  process,  however,  depends  on  its  steady 
movement  toward  the  goal.  To  put  it  in  Hegelian  phrase, 
"self-realization"  must  be  its  purpose  and  its  vindication. 
To  be  filled  passively  with  material  from  outside  is  no  high 
attainment,  even  though  it  is  better  than  absolute  emptiness. 
The  mind  that  makes  itself  real,  selects;  it  begins  by  selecting 
its  authorities,  it  goes  on  by  selecting  from  its  chosen  authority 
that  which  most  commends  itself  for  assimilation.  Then  its 
growing  wealth  demands  arrangement,  and  system  begins; 
logical  relations  are  discerned  and  followed,  and  in  the  course 
of  time  the  mind  has  its  own  convictions  and  philosophy. 
Just  so  is  it  with  methods.  So  long  as  one  uses  the  method  of 
another  as  the  method  of  another  he  is  a  mere  copyist;  not 
until  he  begins  to  decide  what  he  can  do  best,  and  what  devices 
he  can  best  employ,  is  there  any  real  beginning  to  his  life  as  an 
artist.  From  that  time  forth  the  materials  of  others  are  simply 
foods  that  nourish  and  expand  his  individuality;  the  methods 
of  others  are  but  exercises  by  which  he  trains  his  powers  for 
independent  work. 

He  who  would  produce,  therefore,  must  first  reproduce;  he 
who  would  have  a  meum  must  begin  by  liberal  use  of  the  tuum. 
And  by  such  use  "the  party  of  the  second  part"  is  most  highly 
honored;  the  measure  of  such  appropriation  is  precisely  the 
measure  of  his  influence.  But  it  is  to  be  noted  that  appropri 
ation  and  exploitation  are  not  identical.  Thought  is  not  an 
ornament  that  can  be  appended  externally;  no  one  really 


Plagiarism.  2  39 

makes  it  his  own  who  does  not  "chew  and  digest"  it,  incorpo 
rating  it  thus  with  the  body  of  his  thinking.  A  man  ma}-  have 
a  trick  of  verbal  memory  which  will  enable  him  to  recall 
passage  after  passage  from  literature,  and  yet  they  may  be  as 
helpless  as  withered  seeds  scattered  over  an  iron  soil.  He 
may  absolute!}'  forget  word  and  phrase,  just  as  he  may  forget 
entirely  a  cooling  draught  of  water,  yet  the  strength  and  joy 
of  it  may  enter  into  all  his  subsequent  work. 

"Ye  shall  be  original"  is  the  tempter's  lure  to  this  plagiar- 
istic  tree,  and  we  need  to  see  that  here  as  in  Eden  we  get  the 
knowledge  of  good  by  losing  it,  and  of  evil  by  incurring  it. 
Plagiarism  is  in  direct  contradiction  of  those  habits  of  mind 
which  will  make  a  man  really  original.  It  is  the  folly  of  a 
green  peach  that  would  fain  have  itself  painted  with  poisonous 
red,  so  as  to  make  men  think  it  ripe.  Especially  should  the 
young  speaker  have  patience  with  himself,  and  confidence 
in  the  good  nature  and  good  sense  of  his  audience.  He  is 
still  and  necessarily  in  his  'prentice  period,  still  gathering  his 
materials,  still  testing  his  powers,  still  engaged  in  that  most 
fascinating  search  for  the  true  self,  whose  expression  will  be 
his  service  to  his  generation.  Under  such  circumstances  it  is 
sheer  folly  to  seek  originality  in  the  ordinary  and  superficial 
sense.  He  will  merely  rake  over  the  remote  corners  of  his 
mind  for  some  unused  and  forgotten  remnants  of  former  ac 
quisitions,  whose  very  disuse  proves  their  ineptness.  Or  he 
will  seek  some  author  or  thinker  whose  views  are  singular,  and 
will  slavishly  repeat  his  statements  in  a  kind  of  theatrical  imi 
tation  of  real  fire.  Still  more  cheap  and  tawdry  is  the  method 
of  contrariness,  of  saying  things  that  are  startling  because 
negative,  in  which  attitude  the  would-be  original  is  no  more 
admirable  than  a  baulky  mule.  At  the  foot  of  this  slippery 
plane  is  the  man  who  seeks  some  presumedly  unknown  pro 
duction,  really  exhibiting  qualities  he  is  anxious  to  display, 
and  who  "conveys"  his  speech  bodily,  with  such  alternations 
and  mutilations  as  may  suffice  in  his  mind  to  bring  it  down  to 
the  suppositional  level  on  which  the  audience  may  be  led  to 
believe  his  own  powers  disport  themselves. 

In  sharp  contrast  with  all  this  folly  and  fever  is  the  simple 
and  effective  rule  of  genuineness.  Let  a  man  give  his  own, 
and  give  his  best,  taking  a  theme  in  which  he  is  thoroughly 


240  Plagiarism. 

interested,  and  saying  the  things  that  he  fully  believes.  It 
makes  no  difference  if  they  have  been  said  thousands  of  time? 
before:  that  is  true  of  all  the  things  best  worth  saying.  Fresh 
ness,  individuality,  will  invest  with  an  infallible  charm  the  most 
familiar  thoughts.  Life  is  the  secret,  not  superficial  strange 
ness.  Life  everywhere  makes  its  own  place,  and  furnishes  its 
own  justification. 

What  then  shall  be  our  attitude  towards  the  words  and 
phrases  of  another?  First  of  all  is  needed  a  protest  against 
the  use  of  quotations  as  mere  ornament;  it  is  in  the  taste  of  the 
savage  who  pierces  his  upper  lip  for  gold  rings,  not  because 
they  have  any  fitness  there,  but  because  he  conceives  them  to 
be  pretty.  Beauty  must  be  subordinate,  or  it  becomes  un 
meaning  and  offensive.  When  quotations  are  made,  they 
should  be  clearly  indicated.  In  the  olden  time  a  man  took 
his  materials  wherever  he  could  find  them;  Shakespeare,  Mil 
ton,  borrowed  by  the  wholesale,  for  that  was  the  universal 
spirit  of  literary  work.  The  poet  was  no  more  obliged  to 
originate  his  figures  than  the  green-grocer  to  offer  nothing  but 
what  he  raised  in  his  own  garden;  the  public  asked  no  question 
beyond  the  quality  of  the  goods.  Wisely  and  unwisely  all  this 
is  now  changed.  A  man  is  understood  to  claim  as  his  own  all 
that  is  not  distinctly  labeled  otherwise;  and  the  unacknowl 
edged  spoliation  of  happy  phrase  and  sonorous  period  has 
therefore  become  an  inexcusable  dishonesty.  In  writing,  quo 
tation  marks  should  show  every  borrowed  passage,  used  be 
cause  better  than  our  own  and  therefore  by  no  means  to  be 
presented  as  our  own.  In  speaking,  since  quotation  marks  do 
not  appeal  to  the  ear,  special  care  should  be  taken,  not  only  to 
show  where  the  borrowing  begins  but  where  it  ends.  Such 
frankness  automatically  prevents  excessive  quotation;  the  lack 
of  it  usually  suffices  to  "kill"  a  speech,  for  nothing  is  more 
damaging  than  a  growing  suspicion  in  the  audience  that  the 
speaker  is  a  daw  parading  in  peacock's  feathers. 

If  we  were  to  dip  into  the  history  of  plagiarism,  pages  could 
be  filled  with  famous  cases,  and  their  arguments  pro  and  con. 
The  charge  has  often  been  rash  and  ridiculous,  based  upon  the 
slightest  of  resemblance,  or  neglectful  of  the  fact  that  liter 
ature  is  by  its  nature  a  highway  for  thousands  of  feet.  No  one 
can  be  asked  to  read  everything  on  his  subject,  so  as  to  be  sure 


Plagiarism.  -4 ' 

he  says  nothing  that  anybody  else  has  said.  Many  offenders 
have  been  more  or  less  exonerated  by  the  plea  of  unconscious 
recollection.  Some  minds  have  a  tenacious  sense  of  verbal 
form,  and  with  them  the  recollection  of  a  thought,  and  of  its 
words,  are  one  and  the  same  thing.  But  with  our  present 
literary  standards  such  a  man  ought  to  watch  his  memory  as 
closely  as  he  would  his  hand  if  he  knew  himself  to  have  ten 
dencies  toward  kleptomania;  the  memory  should  be  trained  a 
little  further  so  as  to  include  not  only  the  words  but  the  name 
of  the  man  who  wrote  them.  The  author  must  be  above  sus 
picion.  It  is  vastly  better  to  err  on  the  side  of  openness  than 
of  silence.  The  first  stirring  of  unwillingness  to  state  frankly 
where  borrowed  material  was  obtained  should  reveal  the  man 
to  his  own  conscience  as  not  far  from  the  kingdom  of  thieves. 
For  him  who  willfully  filches  and  brazenly  parades  his  fine 
periods  no  drumming  out  of  the  camp  with  the  rogue's  march 
can  be  too  severe.  The  cases  that  have  occurred  in  the  history 
of  these  oratorical  contests  show  that  society  still  has  a  duty  of 
instruction  by  means  of  vigorous  penalties.  Let  us  hope  the 
time  is  not  far  distant  when  audiences  will  be  reasonable  in  all 
their  demands,  and  speakers  thoroughly  honest  and  gladly 
generous  in  all  their  dealings  with  the  great  world  of  thought 
into  which  it  is  their  and  our  magnificent  privilege  to  be  born. 


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